Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper Masterfully Take Sight on Iraq

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2015)

Not only do we get to know Chris Kyle, his life, and service but we also get to see the most grounded and mature movie made about the Iraq War even better than "The Hurt Locker". Like Vietnam in "Full Metal Jacket", there are no winners or losers in Iraq, only the reality of a war that changed us all forever. This is what makes some of the best war movies the best and this is why "American Sniper" will stand as one of the best movies about the Iraq War for a long time to come.
You probably would like to know how accurate this movie was of the real Chris Kyle, right? Yes, Hollywood has a tendency to make up and exaggerate the lives of people in the real world but I have done some research and can say nothing has been exploited in this picture. I believe this is a respectful portrayal of its subject with some material dramatized with good intention. I found 85% of what was depicted in "American Sniper" to be factually true; then again I am not a professional investigator so you decide.
Chris Kyle (played by Bradley Cooper) was, indeed, a Texan cowboy who believed in God, country, and guns but most importantly, he saw himself as a guardian of the weak and defenseless, a virtue he held onto since childhood. He joins the Navy pre-9/11 and trains as a SEAL sniper before being deployed to Iraq. There he served four tours of duty returning to his family in between but only to grow more passive and distant every time. And every time his friends are killed or injured, he feels obligated to take up his rifle and hunt his enemy even if there is a bounty placed on him.
A lot of people have been praising and slamming this movie as pro-war, neoconservative propaganda; I think those people are misguided. First of all, war is terrible whether you believe in some cause or not so calling something "pro-war" is pretty careless on your part. And secondly, the director Clint Eastwood is as anti-war as they come; don't let his support of Republicans fool you, he opposes the idea of America serving as the world police. Being anti-war does not mean you are not supporting the soldiers who serve our military, in fact, you can argue you're anti- war because you care about our troops and others. Alright, enough with my rant to all the Bill Mahers of the world and that goes to those who praise this movie as well for the same reason.
With all being said, Clint Eastwood and screenwriter Jason Hall really get the Iraq War as an ambiguous conflict. Kyle, as a sniper, is put into strenuous positions where he must make decisions to kill or let someone go. Looking through his scope, we are pressured into the same conflict he is in. Our emotions battle with our instinct as ferocious as our hero's and climax as soon as he pulls the trigger or relieves it. That, my friends, is great filmmaking.
"American Sniper" does not justify nor condemns a controversial war, it gives us a picture of what it has done to our veterans and what they had to endure (and still are to this day). Most war movies these days are either so blatantly anti-war or supportive of the war effort (not that it is necessarily wrong to do either) but movies like "Saving Private Ryan" and "American Sniper" are smarter in how they portray sacrifice and consequence. But most importantly, they focus on the people who are in the war and what it does to them: the soldiers, their enemies, and the innocent civilians in between.
Bradley Cooper put 120% effort into his role as Chris Kyle and it will go down as the performance of a lifetime. Beefed up in muscle and touting a Texan accent, Cooper achieves a heroic image with a stoic grace only he and Eastwood could have accomplished. But beneath the faÃ§ade of quiet strength is a battle from which Kyle risks compromising his family for his duty. And let us not forget about the lady of the family Taya Kyle (played by Sienna Miller). I cannot remember the last war movie in which the spouse of a veteran is given a significant amount of focus. Through Sienna's chemistry with her costar and through her pain over her husband's safety and sanity, I could feel how much Taya loved and supported her man. It takes a special kind of sacrifice for a woman to bear the burden of a SEAL sniper. Both actors deserve award recognition for their roles.
Of all the subjects touched in "American Sniper", I believe the most important is our veterans. They are still coping with life in the home and often do not show they need our help. Chris Kyle spends the remainder of the film dedicating his time and energy to give strength and hope to his fellow veterans. After watching this movie, I hope you feel the same way.
My Rating: 10/10