American Sniper (2014)

Rating: 6/10 (2 April 2020)

Directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Navid Negahban, Keir O'Donnell, Kevin Lacz, Sam Jaeger, Kyle Gallner. (R)
Potent but controversial story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (based on the memoir he wrote with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice), who served four tours of duty in the Iraq War and became the deadliest sharpshooter in the history of the US military. Director Eastwood's patented plain-spoken style may not be the most effective voice for this material, which conveniently smooths over most of the thornier aspects of its protagonist's personality and viewpoint; embellishing or outright manufacturing antagonists may work for the sake of rooting interest during the chaos of modern warfare, but it only serves to stake its flag further in the field of belief that the Iraqi people were one and all enemy "savages." Touches on (and glosses over) a number of issues beyond the battlefield, such as the moral quagmire of the Iraq War and the physical debilitation/PTSD suffered by vets returning from war; the most interesting part of the story actually takes place after Kyle comes home from his final tour of duty, but those details are rushed over to get to the awkwardly-assembled but unsettling final day of Kyle's life. The efficient precision of the filmmaking and Cooper's strong central performance are commendable in service of its limited mission statement; blunt as a bullet, but that may be enough for most audiences, who turned the film into a surprise box office smash. Oscar winner for Sound Editing.
63/100