Bravo!

Rating: 9/10 (21 January 2015)

Clint Eastwood was in top form for American Sniper, his 34th feature film as director. An Oscar nomination for Best Director would have made very good sense to me. At 84 years old, the man should be an inspiration to geriatrics the world over and the rest of us who hope to live that long. And who better to take a page out of Quentin Tarantino's book by using a great old Ennio Morricone tune?
Neither the perilous hell of battle nor the depths of human wickedness have been more powerfully and realistically depicted in my cinematic experience. Furthermore, they dutifully honor Chris Kyle's perspective without it being a pro-Iraq War propaganda piece. It is a skillful balancing act for what is not a political film per se. To say that the film needed an anti-war agenda is tantamount to saying that it would have been better if only they had disrespected the man's memory. Though I myself do not approve of the Iraq War, it is not in black and white terms. I much prefer a challenging, thought-provoking film to an anti-war spoon-feeding.
Bradley Cooper seems to take nothing for granted by giving his all to one good role after another. The part of Chris Kyle is his most demanding and transformative. I have liked him in many roles and have long understood him to be a real go-getter and capable actor, but this one stands out as a remarkable achievement. It is one of the better performances that I have ever seen. He insisted on achieving believability and succeeded beyond doubt.
There is so much I like about the film that I almost feel like I am pawing in the dark to criticize it. However, another early scene developing the relationship between Kyle and his wife Taya would have been appreciated. Well, that and a preposterous fake baby that I hesitate to mention since I was fooled by it in the theater. But I figure almost everyone who reads this review will have already seen the film.
Snipers have a way of captivating the mind and are therefore good film subjects. It is the precise art of marksmanship, the idea of playing God, their strategic importance in warfare, and as the makers of this film understand in spades by having included a sharpshooting adversary named Mustafa, the idea of the hunter being hunted.
Chris Kyle risked his life over four tours and roughly 1,000 days in order to protect his fellow soldiers. This was courageous and he is an American hero, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. He is a hero to all people who support an aggressive stance against the enemies of civilization. He had a real and important job to do and did it exceptionally well. This much should be agreeable to anyone in their right mind, however ill-conceived they consider the war. Nevertheless, I have observed a moron explosion in response to the film and fueled by the marvelous success of it. I regret to see such one-note, mouth-breathing opposition to the war in lieu of measured arguments. Snipers also have a way of stirring up emotions.