American Sniper highlights the man behind the myth

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2015)

I've heard mixed things about 'American Sniper' directed by manly man director/actor Clint Eastwood, and I never cared much for Bradley Cooper in his first role that got him an Oscar nom (the overrated 'Silver Linings Playbook'), but for this third Oscar nomination, I finally think Cooper has elevated his craft to a genuinely amazing place. He gives real-life Iraq war veteran Chris Kyle wonderful charisma, yet he keeps the portrayal grounded, making for a charming every man.
Narratively, I think Eastwood does a wonderful job of deconstructing a myth about this fellow, who came to be known as the deadliest U.S. sniper in Iraq. The film's pacing is intense, and (after seeing Fury) it cemented for me that war movies are my horror movies (and I saw this film at home via a screener during voting for the Florida Film Critics Circle).
American Sniper just rattled me, and many of the performances are suitably intense, from the villainous bully intimidating the locals called "the Butcher" to an especially heartbreaking Sienna Miller as the wife waiting for Kyle back home. I know Eastwood's a big director with a reputation, but I really connected with this film, and I think it's worth catching at the multiplex.