A Tiresome, Sub-Standard Gimmick

Rating: 4/10 (19 January 2015)

I can't say that I see the appeal when it comes to "American Sniper". Frankly, I don't understand what all the fuss has been about. This is a film that I found to be sub-standard in almost every way possible and by no means anything remarkable. It's something that seems to have absolutely no point whatsoever and fails to find one along the way, leaving the audience left to watch meaningless recounted events. And after a while, it gets a bit monotonous.
As you may know, the film centers around the infamous Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, focusing on his four tours of duty in Iraq. We see him grapple with keeping his fellow soldiers alive while also pursuing leads on various al-Qaeda members.
And what could be an interesting story - possibly one of value - is reduced to a tiresome gimmick revolved around whether or not he can snipe down person after person. It seems to have been made just to prove the fact that he is "the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history". With flashbacks to his childhood straight out of a TV movie and unnecessary jumps from his time at home to his time serving, it never quite finds a rhythm. I couldn't tell if it was trying to be an intense war flick or a study on his PTSD, and I'm not sure that Clint Eastwood knew either.
Bradley Cooper manages to deliver a solid performance here but he's certainly done much better work and has virtually no chemistry with co-star Sienna Miller. How anyone could consider this an Oscar-worthy picture baffles me.