Not Eastwood's Best But Not His Worst

Rating: 7/10 (31 January 2015)

In my opinion, I don't think Eastwood has made a great movie since Gran Torino. Changeling and Invictus are good; J. Edgar and Jersey Boys are okay films. However, those movies did not give me an impact like Gran Torino. Unfortunately, American Sniper did not do that but I still overall enjoyed this movie.
Clint Eastwood does a good job on giving suspense. I could feel the tension with the audience members and a sigh of relief when the movie immediately does to another scene. The film does it consistently and it really doesn't get tiresome. Even though I could feel the tension, I really wasn't on the edge of my seat at all like the audience. I think the only reason why I didn't feel this way was because I already knew about Chris Kyle. Those who don't know anything about him were probably more interested than me.
One thing that I really appreciate about this movie is that it shows the effect of what happens after you leave the war. I mean I felt bad for this guy many time because it was haunting what he was going through. However, there were scenes that involved Sienna Miller's character and those scenes broke my heart. I won't spoil it but goodness it is heart wrenching.
Bradley Cooper did an excellent job. How he gained weight for the role and talking with that thick slurred accent helped me feel like I was not looking at Bradley Cooper. It's not my favorite performance (it's American Hustle) but he did do a good job. I don't believe his performance is Oscar worthy though. I just thought there were other performances that I thought were better. Sienna Miller also did a great job. I feel like she's under looked because of Cooper and also because there fantastic female performances. I'm telling you though she is good and those scenes that I mentioned earlier will prove my point.
I don't believe this film really deserves a nomination for best picture or actor. The movie itself and Cooper's performance just did not hit me with an impact like some other movies and actors. However, American Sniper does an excellent job on showing how war can traumatize those who fought for our nation. There were some scenes that felt incredibly long, but there were also moments that were heartbreaking. If you don't know the story of Chris Kyle, then you are definitely in for a ride.