Keep Both Eyes Open

Rating: 8/10 (16 January 2015)

Bradley Cooper is simply one of the elite actors working today. He has now been nominated for 3 acting Oscars. It's debatable whether or not he was better than other actors this year, I will judge that once I have seen all the films, but he is definitely Oscar worthy in American Sniper. But he's not the only great thing about this film. Clint Eastwood does a great job directing and the editing and special effects are top notch. It's one of the most intense films I have seen this year and so I have no problem with some of the nominations this movie received.
It's really just an incredible story. At times the film can be heartbreaking. Almost half of my theater walked out weeping. I didn't cry, but man was this a tough one to watch. The fact that all of this (presumably) actually happened just makes it that much more difficult. One of the key scenes from the trailer begins the film and it sets the tone for just how intense it will be. Eastwood didn't really hold back on the brutality of killing over a hundred people, and the aftermath of what it does to a person. I initially thought the back and forth between the tours and his family life would take away from the experience but it really didn't. Sienna Miller did a very good job of giving us that emotion without overdoing it.
Bradley Cooper bulked up and also brought the emotional gravitas it takes to lead this type of film. Chris Kyle gets literally lost in fighting this war that he doesn't realize how much this is negatively impacting his family and Cooper perfectly portrayed that. I also don't know if I have seen PTSD better displayed than it was here. Of course I wouldn't actually know how that feels but I do know that the subtly with which Cooper portrayed it was very effective. They also didn't make this person out to be too much of a hero. I appreciate that they didn't take killing this many people lightly.
I also agree with the way Eastwood decided to end the film. Without spoilers I don't think there's any other way you could have served the film and it's real life characters better. American Sniper is a difficult film to watch, but it's one of the better ones this year.
+Cooper's multidimensional performance
+Story structure
+Eastwood's directing
+Doesn't hold back with the top notch editing
8.4/10