Generic, Ordinary, and Guessable On Top Of Being Racist

Rating: Null/10 (24 January 2015)

Whether it be the political, racist, or factual debate, most of us probably have not been able to check into our go-to news websites or scroll through our Facebook newsfeeds without hearing opinions being thrown around about American Sniper. I used to love seeing conversation surface around movies, it means the cinema still has the magic to strike a nerve with audience and evoke strong opinions. With movies like Gone Girl, which prompted a conversation between feminist and misogynist interpretations, it is okay because no one was hurt by it. That is not the case with American Sniper. Seeing responses to this film is probably the closest comparison we will get as to what modern audiences would say if "Birth of a Nation" were newly released in the modern day.
American Sniper's hideous ideology is not easy to accept for open-minded individuals, considering Chris Kyle conducts himself in a sexist manner, rejects any notions of thinking in a larger way, and is flat-out racist against Iraquis, often referring to their race of people as "savages" and "scum". The racism inflates each time a line of dialogue is spoken through Bradley Cooper's mouth; you will wince and wish you were watching a different movie. For a Hollywood film to come out so firm with a political and ideological stance is almost as alarming as the racist slurs themselves. The screenplay does not look to criticize or question this aspect of Chris Kyle's personality. Instead it praises him and hold him up as a hero. Yes, this is the probably the only modern-day film that will label someone a hero who is verbally explicit in his bigotry and racism.
American Sniper bizarrely boasts its bigotry as patriotism, which is not only disturbing but worrisome. The problem with this aspect of the film is the ugliness that Kyle's ideas of the divide between the "good guys" and "bad guys" is encouraging ultra-conservative and zealous patriots to continue using a racist characterization of Iraqis, and if one does not reinforce Kyle's ideology, they are not patriotic. But being uncomfortable, or at least acknowledging, that Chris Kyle had a very dense view of the world and was very racist on many occasions does not equate to anti-military views. I think most everyone would agree that we would not even be having these debates about a movie if it were not for the troops who have defended our country. My grandfather served in the Korean war, so this is not me being, as I've been accused, "a crazy, America-hating liberal." I am a liberal who hates that a film ties racism to a heroic image, and that the film breaking records at the box office. (Phrases used in tweets praising American Sniper like "sand-n*gger" have shaken me to my core.)
In addition to the ideology/social impacts of the film, I cannot say that, as a movie, it should be held up as one of the achievements of 2014. I have found this fitting phrase in describing it: a "knockoff Bigelow film." American Sniper attempts to be like The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty; it wants to be like Kathryn Bigelow's films like an elementary child imitates the actions of a junior high teenager in attempts to be "cool". But like that child, American Sniper just looks silly in its failed attempts.The cinematography is muddy and not very pleasant to look at, unlike those other films. The film editing, though among of the film's better attributes, is looser and less precise than both war films above. And the "emotional impact" is the horridly fabricated in this film. Not only is American Sniper ineffective in clawing at my heart but actually produces an opposite effect where, because of the terrible dialogue and a horrendous Sienna Miller, the scenes where we see Chris Kyle at home with his wife and family are laughable and cheaply melodramatic.
Clint Eastwood's directing of American Sniper is also quite linear. There are no inflections of the story or shades of the protagonist, just a paved-over, flat line of scenes strung together with little human feeling involved. His directing and the overall film are saved from being downright loathsome by the tense action scenes where Eastwood manipulates the audience into those with great suspense and anticipation. My favorite aspect of American Sniper was the straining, articulate sound design, but that's no reason to sit through a film as long and abysmal as this one. If I were recommending movies based on sound quality alone, you better pencil in Transformers: Age of Extinction after your screening of American Sniper.
Bradley Cooper received his third acting nomination from the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts, and Sciences without any precursor nominations from critics or other major award shows, which almost never happens. Cooper has been on a roll lately, giving two great performances directed by actor-friendly director David O. Russell. But here, I feel bit fatigued by his nomination. Cooper is fine as Chris Kyle, but does not warrant an ample amount laudable acclaim. Most of what Cooper is trying to covey as an actor is suffocated by Eastwood and the screenplay's straightforward, dense, machismo portrait of who Kyle was. Cooper seems to be doing something inside grey-space but you'd never be able to know because his vision is not appreciated by the creative team behind him.
For military families and fans of the war genre, this will probably tickle your senses in the best ways, but for everyone may be offended by the content...most likely in more ways than one. American Sniper is the generic, ordinary, and guessable war film you would hope it would not be. Heck, even Lone Survivor, which is a B-movie at best, took more daring artistic choices last year than American Sniper does this year.
Grade: C-