Something special

Rating: Null/10 (17 January 2015)

A two-word title with the first word being 'American' is a common appellation for a Hollywood movie - think "American Graffiti", "American Beauty", "American Gangster" and most recently "American Hustle". In this case, the real-life eponymous military hero is one of epic achievement and reputation. Chris Kyle was a Texan cowboy who became a Navy SEAL and served no less than four tours in Iraq as a sniper credited with 160 confirmed kills out of 255 probable kills. As a result, he has been proclaimed the most lethal sniper in US military history and awarded five Bronze Stars and two Silver Stars.
Kyle's story - based on his autobiography - is in safe hands with 84 year old Clint Eastwood. This is a director who knows how to portray war, having even made two films about the Second World War battle for Iwo Jima, and as cinema this is a stunning work. From a tense opening which involves a split-second life-or-death decision, the movie never lets you go. The repeated tours, with frightening stake-outs and terrifying shoot- outs, represent a visceral experience for the viewer. I saw "American Sniper" on an IMAX screen and the huge images and brilliant sound made me feel as if I was there.
As Chris Kyle, Bradley Cooper, who has beefed up big time and keeps his emotions tight, looks and sounds a world away from his normal-bodied, emotionally-expressive roles such as in "Silver Linings Playbook" or the previously-mentioned "American Hustle". This is truly a powerful performance. As his wife Taya, British actress Sienna Miller, normally seen as a blonde, also looks and sounds very different from the days of "Layer Cake". Other support roles are well-cast, although the naturalistic dialogue is not always intelligible.
"American Sniper" is "The Hurt Locker" meets "Black Hawk Down" with narrative elements (a conflict between snipers) from "Enemy At The Gates". If it is magnificent as an action movie, it lacks psychological and political subtlety. Director Clint Eastwood and writer Jason Hall present Kyle (known to the marines as "The Legend") in uncritical, almost mythic, terms and there is virtually no context to the war. But, when the credits roll up silently, you will feel that you have seen something special.