American Propaganda

Rating: 4/10 (5 September 2015)

Reviewed August 22, 2015 - 1st viewing (Blu-ray 2D)
American Propaganda
I would like to preface this by stating the obvious: The true story is a tragedy to be sure, however the film unsuccessfully conveys any real emotion or depth. In general I find true stories are harder to adapt, however it is ultimately the director's responsibility to find ways to present the material in such a way that the audience can connect to it, and in this way, it is a failure.
From the beginning, I felt like it was abundant clichés about the American soldier, from hunting to a domineering father to the child with a bomb, the latter of which I'm almost certain I've seen in another film. The facts and events of his life are piece mealed together as if you're skipping three pages for every one you see in a photo album. The plot unfolds as if the screenwriters expect you to know many of the important details assuming you'd read the memoir.
Chris Kyle, a native Texan aspiring to be a rodeo cowboy, decides to join the military after 9/11. Somewhere his brother gets forgotten until his wife mentions he got deployed to Iraq, where Chris is no less, and yet he doesn't seek him out until one random day he seems him boarding a hilo. Then towards the end they vaguely reference that he was killed and Chris comments that it was his own fault I still didn't understand whether the funeral was for Chris' fallen comrades or his brother. There is such an overwhelming lack of emotional connect, even with Bradley Cooper's amazing performance—a testament to the lack of good writing and direction.
The score doesn't fair much better, barely making an appearance other than some numbers with drums during the war scenes as if they accelerate the action. The action sequences (if you can call them that) were quite formulaic and predictable. And the moral of the story certainly does not make an appearance here—I don't understand how Kyle could be so seemingly affected by the kills and yet not have an issue with the killing, never implementing any degree of self-examination or questioning his own personal value system.
Then you have plot devices that just don't make sense. After the kid picked up the rocket launcher, couldn't he have settled for shooting him in the shoulder or leg? Why would you set up your sniper on a moving object? Would all the militants in the greater area known your exactly location from one sniper shot echoing off a building where he's laying under cover? If you can't see two feet in front of you in a sandstorm, how can you make a getaway in a Humvee in it? And what's with the supposed air support coming in at the last possible minute? Not to mention the Punisher logo on everything, from the machine gun shield to their clips to their bulletproof vests. Is that really wise in an active war zone—leaving identifiers plastered on everything in sight? They may as well have painted targets on their backs—oh wait! They already did! And let's not forget the American propaganda lurking behind every corner. So all Americans join the military to serve their country and come home numb of the killing with their only regret being they couldn't kill more 'savages' (we're still calling them that?), with no questions whatsoever about the point and purpose, or tactics used on anyone they cross paths with, including civilians? No concern over morality, no qualms with conduct.
Eastwood is attempting to be minimalistic, but it just falls flat. He has a visual eye, but forgets the aspects that connect the audience to the material. The camera movement was interesting, however there is no attention to the details surrounding the characters, like who they are and what they represent. I can't help but feel like he's trying too hard in all the wrong places.
The most emotional scene was when Chris visited the psychiatrist. I appreciate the fact that they do touch on the importance of veterans being able to seek help and share their experiences with fellow veterans, as I do not feel this is brought out into the light as much as it should be. That being said, in the end he was killed by the veteran he was trying to help. I understand the director finds irony in this, however isn't it completely defeating the purpose of former soldiers not being afraid to seek the help they so desperately need? I mean, that is the end note, so is the moral of the story don't seek help? This is my frustration with films developed from true stories—it isn't enough to just tell the story—the point is supposed to be to find the meaning behind it, how we an make good come of bad.
Ultimately, the film did not bring anything new to the war genre, supplanting originality and depth for clichés and propaganda--both of which abound in truckloads. The gravity of how detached and underwhelmed I felt is staggering. The only explanation for the high IMDb rating is that it is based on the concept, not the film or content, the implication being if you don't like this film, you're not proud to be an American.
FINAL VERDICT: I'm so glad I went with my gut and did NOT see this in theaters The film itself is a tragedy in that it fails to celebrate the man's life, instead settling for propaganda and the ironies of life. If you're looking for a great war film, I suggest Saving Private Ryan or Fury—the depth and emotion conveyed in those films leave you feeling more like you took something important from them and less like you just watched a good man's legacy die before your very eyes
3.0 of 10.0