“American Sniper” is a profoundly poignant character study on Chris Kyle, a bear of a man from Texas credited with over 160 kills as a Navy SEAL. Not to spoil anything, but it should be mentioned that he did, in fact, shoot and kill who he believed to be the bad guys. The subtle brilliance of the balance between the war scenes overseas, the bloodless domestic battles and the psychological skirmishes at home and abroad makes for a thoroughly engrossing 134 minutes of non-stop conflict, even if most of it isn’t physical.
The movie shows who Kyle was, and demonstrates his change over the years as he wrestles with moral gray areas in order to save his fellow Americans from whoever and whatever might be trying to kill them. My point is, if you know you are going to hate this movie before you give it a chance, don’t knock Eastwood for “glorifying” anything, even if he does leave some of the messy parts of Kyle’s life out.
First and foremost, Bradley Cooper’s performance as Kyle is reason enough to see this movie. Establishing himself as one of Hollywood’s best with 2012’s “Silver Linings Playbook,” Cooper has outdone himself with “American Sniper.” He bought the rights to this film and was a producer for it, so he was very passionate about the project to begin with. He only talked to Kyle one time on the phone before his untimely death, but continued to work with a vocal coach, Kyle’s fellow soldiers, and footage of Kyle to truly capture his essence on screen, all while putting on 40 pounds for the role.
Being from Texas, I can attest to the fact that he absolutely nails the Texas accent without being cheesy about it, which is a nice change of pace. Not only is it Cooper’s paramount performance thus far, but also one of the most passionate performances I’ve seen in the last few years. Cooper also outshines his counterparts in the film. Sienna Miller is competent as the distressed wife, but it would have been nice to see more than just that side of her. For such a major character and influence in Kyle’s life, she is reprehensibly static.
Another noteworthy portion of this movie is the effectiveness and uniqueness of its sound, while only sparsely using music. If you’ve seen enough war movies, you know that they tend to be chaotic, loud, and frantic. “Sniper,” on the other hand, uses its extended periods of calculated, fragile silence to portray the horrors of war and just how tense everything is debatably even more effectively than the scenes when bullets are flying. The delicacy of the situations slowly waxes and wanes, and every little gust of wind, knock on a wall, or click of a gun adds to the intensity of the scenes, leaving you ample time to watch Kyle weigh out decisions and grapple with what he wants to do, what he should do, and how he should go about saving as many lives as possible. This makes for a satisfactorily uncomfortable viewing experience, as it should be.
Potentially the most remarkable thing about “Sniper” is the deft way that Eastwood handles this appalling story. If you’ve ever heard the name Chris Kyle, then you know exactly how this story ends, but Eastwood ensures that the inevitability of tragedy never takes away from the potency of the film. For a director that is decidedly hit or miss, Eastwood seems to have found his niche with “Sniper,” especially with the heart you can feel riddled throughout this movie by Eastwood and Cooper.
Although the film never explicitly diagnoses Kyle with post-traumatic stress disorder, it seems to act as a dreadful, yet respectful, representation of its effects and the battle it triggers. All in all, in a world where certain pieces of propaganda portray all warriors as psychopaths or criminals, “Sniper” seems to make an honorable counterargument out of respect for a man who simply desired to defend his country and protect his fellow Americans.
_*Pass the popcorn if:*_ You want to see a grounded portrait of the war in Iraq and the effect it has on the soldiers involved; you want to see Bradley Cooper give the performance of his life; movies that make you mentally wrestle with things don’t deter you.
_*Pass it up if:*_ The main character’s role as being a slightly hyper-patriotic military man offends you; slightly irregular pacing and a few unrealistic occurrences would bother you; you are for the terrorists.
