Sniper MIssed

Rating: 7/10 (3 December 2014)

The problem with biographical material is illustrated in American Sniper. There are too many facts.
Clint Eastwood is one of the finest directors, and Bradley Cooper is a great actor, and this is a good enough film. Chris Kyle was a real Navy SEAL who, in fact, holds the record for being the deadliest sniper to ever serve The United States.
With more than 160 confirmed kills to his credit and perhaps as many as 200 total kills, Chris Kyle's bravery and accuracy are beyond reproach, and as he told his VA shrink, he can face his God with a clear conscience.
The story is very matter of fact and runs through essential parts of his life as if each part of it must be told. He served four tours in Iraq, but we witness only a few of his kills. We understand his need to protect his comrades in arms, and we respect his willingness to take great personal risk in that effort. Still, there isn't enough tension in the story. "Lone Survivor" dealt with the same kind of material, and even though the title tells you what will happen, there is much tension in that story.
There are a couple of scenes where Kyle struggles with the moral question of being a sniper and having to shoot someone who poses a threat, but doesn't fit the standard profile of an enemy combatant. These add depth, but he is in and out of the theater quickly. So quickly that tension and intensity are not allowed to build. He is in mortal danger, then he is home with his family, then back in mortal danger.
A better script would have stayed in the intense moments and not been so concerned with the four tours. Finally, there is the problem of the ending. Incredibly, Kyle is murdered after he survives four tours in Iraq. He is murdered by a veteran, but that large, question-begging, ironic event is all-but dismissed in the film. It is a caption attached to the last scene.
The film is good enough. It tells a great American hero story, but there was a better story in this material. It missed for me.