A solid, but inartistic movie

Rating: 6/10 (9 June 2015)

This is another great biographical film with an inspired story, exciting climax, and beautiful acting from Bradley Cooper.
It offers an honest glimpse into the psychological effects of modern warfare on a man who has seen so many traumatic events; that his life at home is not the same as he returns to battle over and over.
That being said; the images presented are of a dark nature, and it's not the kind of movie you watch again, let alone show your friends and family.
While I don't think that the use of violence in the film was unnecessary, it wasn't particularly artistic. Where the director could've chosen more passive means of communicating the violence of war; he opted to blatantly throw it at the audience, as though trying to give the viewers the kind of psychological damage that the plot explores.
Some scenes didn't feel shocking for the sake of shock value, but just lazy storytelling, something that Clint Eastwood has been guilty of before.
It's a good story, for sure: but it's not well displayed. It's not something I'll ever watch again, or recommend anyone else watches. It wasn't interesting enough to enjoy, and not sad enough to cry at, just... shocking.