Complex and layered well crafted and acted story of Chris Kyle

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2015)

There are a lot of reviews on this film by people politically opposed to the war, who cannot fairly evaluate a film because they find the subject distasteful. They can be discounted. There are those who are war supporters and they likewise can be discounted. Let's dispense with both political sides, and talk as if it is a film. Because as a film, it's one of the year's best. Those like me who have been in the military will say they got the tone completely right. This is not a John Wayne war, this is as it really is, down to the blood and the dirt. When we go on patrol, we feel the anxiety. When a friend is hit, we are shocked. This film does not glorify war, it glorifies humanity. The humanity of a man who is raised to be a sheepdog, to protect the sheep, and who continues that mission to the end. Lighting is mostly natural, with effective use of camera angles and quick cuts in many action sequences. Comparing this with Eastwood's prior work, it's on par with Million Dollar Baby, as a character study. Sound and props are spot on, and the military must have helped considerably with vehicles. Moving as a small story in a large war, and it does help you understand the man who could not completely forget what happened to him there.
I take away points only for the story not being one of full context, as it does not give political speeches, it's only about telling a story. Anyone who gives it less than a 7, with the scoring you see on other titles, either hasn't seen it, or has a political ax to grind. Having seen many titles rated in the 8s, I feel this is between an 8 and a 7.5 in technical ability and story.