The Cost of War

Rating: 5/10 (18 January 2015)

I have to admit I went into the movie expecting more of a documentary type story than a biopic/action drama. That being said, American Sniper in my eyes was a safe attempt of a controversial person that could have been something much deeper. The movie paints him as the Superman of our armed forces (which is probably true) and slowly shows the toll the war has on his personal and professional life.
It's a sad story no doubt, seeing even the mightiest of heroes affected by PTSD and the cost of war, but at the same time the movie shies away from the overall impact it has. We are only shown glimpses of his personal life and each time it gets worse and worse, but this is where the movie made the mistake, it shows too much action versus not enough of his personal life. We can easily see his professional career is very decorated and impressive, the movie boasts more than enough action to make him look like the hero he is, but the movie moves away from his personal life which is where we could have really got up close and personal.
Though the movie is quite fictitious from what I have read, the acting and general story are quite impressive. American Sniper is sure to be a crowd pleaser (already has a Cinemascore of 'A+'), it's a good war movie with an interesting lead, but the movie doesn't go deep enough on a personal level and tackle the numerous controversial moments of his life.