Very Effective and Entertaining!

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2015)

"American Sniper" is an auto-biographical film about the life of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, played by Bradley Cooper (also a co-producer) and Directed by Clint Eastwood (also a co-producer). Kyle was proclaimed the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, having accumulated 160 confirmed kills out of 255 probable kills. The movie traces Kyle's life from his childhood in Texas, to meeting and marrying his wife Taya, played by Sienna Miller, and the birth, & moments of their marriage & 2 children, to his military service following 9/11. The movie portrays Kyle's father teaching him to be one to protect others. This theme plays throughout the film – specifically in Kyle's military service, in that prior to going home for good, he is motivated to finish the task of taking out an enemy sniper, possibly at the expense of the relationship with his wife and children. In short, I thought the movie was great. In earlier parts of the film, I though some of the Dialogue needed improvement, but following that, I have little complaint. I found Cooper's performance very effective. Maybe there could have been one or two heavy Dialogue scenes from his character to add more gravitas to the performance, but perhaps that was just the way the real life Kyle's personality was – And this would be more of reflection on the writing and other aspects of the movie, not Cooper's performance. If you read about the real life Kyle, he seemed to be a very complex individual, and some of his views may not totally vibe with many, including myself, but I feel this should not detract from his service, and certainly not from Cooper's performance in the movie. Sienna Miller I thought was also very effective as Taya, Kyle's wife – who sees that her husband's military experiences are changing him, and simply wants him home. In the end – the movie keeps you engaged and is very entertaining – 3 ½ out of 4 Stars – 9 out of 10.