A Great War Film that Beautifully Merges Heart, Courage, Patriotism, Duty, Passion, Family, Reality, and the Horrors of War

Rating: 9/10 (7 February 2015)

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Rating: 4.3/5 stars
Powered by Clint Eastwood's sure-handed direction and a gripping central performance from Bradley Cooper, "American Sniper" delivers a tense, vivid tribute to its real-life subject. Director Clint Eastwood has crafted his best film in nearly a decade, as he fully captures the horrors of war and the brave men who put their lives on the line to defend our country. What's truly amazing about Eastwood's direction is that without resorting to any form of hagiography – something that could have easily crept and possibly been forgiven in a subject and theme like this – he triumphs with a measured, morally complex, and utterly gripping snapshot of what war can do to the men who fight it. Our old-horse auteur is less concerned with action heroism than the consequences of deadly action, and how it chips away at the fabric of the living. Still, whenever they transpire – and that's more than a few times – the action sequences are edge-of-your-seat stuff – Eastwood, a veteran exponent of action, especially gunfights, since his acting days, once again teams with his long-time collaborators to deliver some of the best-edited (in terms of both video and sound), masterfully handed combat scenes assembled in a war film.
Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) was nothing more than a Texan man who wanted to become a cowboy, but in his thirties he found out that maybe his life needed something different, something where he could express his real talent, something that could help America in its fight against terrorism. So he joins the Navy SEALs to become a sniper, and ends up being heralded as the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. But there was much more to this true American hero than his skill with a rifle. Soon after marrying his sweetheart Taya (Sienna Miller), Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield, and as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname "Legend". However, his reputation also grows behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head,and making him a prime target of insurgents. Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, becoming emblematic of the SEAL creed to "leave no man behind." But upon returning home, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.
Irrespective of whether you're American or not, any self-respecting national can feel for their soldiers through Cooper's evocative, nuanced performance, and Eastwood's assured hand while dealing with a topic of such sensitivity and complexity. We literally get to feel Kyle's detachment and disorientation, as Cooper – in his finest performance yet – fully embodies Kyle and the PSTD he deals with, and we quietly cheer as he gradually tries to overcome it in his own uniquely patriotic way – one where he finally manages to strike a balance between his family and the inherent, overwhelming desire to perpetually serve his country and fellow soldiers.
Bradley Cooper is slowly but surely amassing an enviable, versatile filmography slate, garnished with star turnovers in wholesomely- entertaining blockbusters, and memorable performances in universally-loved and widely-applauded films of award-worthy stature. Three Oscar nominations in as many years, and a string of hits – from the first "Hangover" movie (I thought the third one was quite good too, though the sophomore entry just passed muster) to the underrate thriller "Limitless" to one of the most brilliantly constructed cinematic heists to his voice-over in one of the most exalted superhero films of all time to his most recent effort (even his serious dramas like "Silver Linings Playbook" and this one make money) – are all the proof you need of his perennially rising status as one of Hollywood's most revered actors and box-office draws. Yet, Bradley Cooper isn't the first actor you'd consider for such a macho role, making the impact of this portrayal more remarkable. The word "transformative" is tossed at Steve Carell's role in "Foxcatcher", which is largely latex makeup. Cooper's is a more complete transformation, with convincing Texas swagger and twang, packing an extra 40 pounds of muscle, and plumbing new dramatic depths. His performance is precision personified – from the mannerisms to the accent to the gradations of Kyle's character, personality, and trauma. If this isn't exactly the man Chris Kyle was, it sure as hell is one indelible movie character.
Eastwood reprises that Old West melancholy in "American Sniper" with New West warfare in Iraq, extending the killing to enemy women and children, if necessary. Eastwood's sympathy for Chris Kyle (and his increasingly frightened and frustrated wife, brilliantly played by a career-best act from Sienna Miller) is palpable. Kyle is justifiably portrayed as a true American hero with an overriding almost desperate need to "serve his country" over everything else in his life. At a famous concert in 1969, country music figurehead, Johnny Cash, called himself a "dove with claws" when it came to his stance on The Vietnam War – basically claiming to be an anti-war proponent without giving over to all of the gushy, hugging, New Age palaver that's supposed to come with it. It's an evocative term that could also – on the evidence of his new film – be applied to director, Clint Eastwood. In this bold, in-your-face, true-life drama, he bristles unhesitatingly at the horrors of war, but is metaphorically in the trenches with its soldiers, passing them ammo and lighting their cigarettes.
The tragic irony of Chris Kyle' death – shot by a disturbed, fellow soldier he was trying to help once back home – suits his legacy at a profound level; that death came from thin air, when least expected. It's a hell of a thing.