No Depth, No Shades, No Color

Rating: 5/10 (11 October 2015)

Finally watched American Sniper. Now I understand the backlash against this film. While it's very competently filmed and acted, it completely whitewashes the main character, who was, essentially, a mass murderer. There is no nuance in the script or portrayal of Chris Kyle, apparently a man without any gray areas. And it overlooks the obvious irony, that he was, in turn, killed by another gun toting mass murderer. Then there's the issue of whether bringing a psychotic to a gun range for "rehab" is such a good idea. Clearly not. And it ignores the fact, as most of the media has, that someone else was killed that day besides Kyle.
In all, the film will make you root for the "good guys" without raising any questions about whether they are all that good. It completely misses a great opportunity to delve deep into the issues of soldiering, mental health, gun culture and PTSD. I expect more from a great filmmaker like Eastwood.