Absolute crime its being nominated for awards in a year full of so many better films.

Rating: 4/10 (18 January 2015)

I'll say straight off the bat that I'm not American, because I think whether you enjoy American Sniper is hugely dependent on your stance on US veneration of its military.
Sadly that is the effect the film has, the undertone akin to Eastwood rasping through gritted teeth,'love and respect this man, or go away, punk'. Because from a non patriotic standpoint, this film comes off as a flaccid jerk off to an image of the US military which became old fashioned years ago.
The constant reference to Iraqi's as savages, the timid or absent addressing of consequences or PTSDs effects on the man, the vacant smiles as the bland and completely forgettable cast perform their only role, to tell Kyle how great he is, and a flat atmosphere all make the experience slightly sickly.
The only redeeming moments are those with sniping in them, in which Cooper comes alive and you get the moral dilemma and tension that I was waiting for after seeing the trailer.
Unfortunately this is only a minor part of the film, the rest being a long character study of bluff, straight talking patriot who does his job; not exhilarating, not fun, not emotional and not thought provoking.
However, if you're already a fan of the autobiography, or followed Kyle's life before this, I can see why it'd be worth a watch. The issue is that the film fails to entice someone from outside its own mindset to see why its worth 133 minutes of their time.
For me, it just didn't make me feel anything, bar the sudden and unsettling end, which I suppose is accurate to what really happened, but it marks one of many interesting points that the film could've explored but didn't.
A forgettable experience with nothing to shout about technically or narratively as film.