American Sniper
Dir: Clint
Eastwood
Starring: Bradley
Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner, Luke Grimes, Ben Reed, Keir O’Donnell, Sammy Sheik, and Marnette Patterson
Rated R
132 Minutes
“American Sniper” is a story
about Chris Kyle, a Navy Seal sniper who served in four tours of duty in the
Iraq war. Based off his memoir the film, directed by Clint Eastwood, displays
the harsh realities of combat and the subsequent conflict of choice in a
character study of a complicated man tasked with a complicated occupation. The themes of service, honor, revenge,
regret, and justice all take form in some way throughout this film, one which
seems tailored to the professional work of Clint Eastwood whose many career
characters embodied these same topics. Eastwood guides “American
Sniper” with ease,
transitioning between war-ridden cities and familiar, albeit affected,
homelands while keeping focus on a man struggling to find the balance of both.
We are introduced to Chris Kyle as a child,
being taught a life lesson by his father that will form the basis of his
ambitions as an adult. Chris (Bradley Cooper) grows into a wayward, hard
partying adult until he is motivated by the events of September 11th
to join the military, specifically the elite Navy Seals. Chris excels during
boot camp at long distance marksmanship and is moved into a position as a
sniper. A hero to his fellow band of brothers, which garnered the nickname “The Legend” for his
confirmed enemy kills, Chris struggles with life stateside where his wife (Sienna
Miller) and children must put the pieces of their life back together every time
he returns home. For Chris the call to service and the responsibility of duty
becomes the consuming purpose.
Bradley Cooper offers one of his best
performances as Chris Kyle, creating a character that is deeply affected by the
choices he has made though never completely vulnerable to those around him. His character is revered,
a symbol of heroism and bravery but also hope to the men and women that serve
along side him. Cooper shows the split second doubts during life or death
decisions, harbors the strain of returning to a life he is unfamiliar with, and
demonstrates the steadfast nature towards completing the mission regardless of
the outlook. Sienna Miller is also good as Chris’ wife, a woman trying to understand a man who she
seldom sees and desperately holding together the semblance of normality at
home.
Eastwood is accomplished when handling war and
soldiers; take for instance the attitudes of the service people in both “Letters
from Iwo Jima” and “Flags of
Our Fathers” or the
retired veteran in “Gran Torino”. These characters are all different but they
all come from the same time honored and respected tradition of military
service. Here, Eastwood maneuvers through frenzied action and pauses in the
quiet moments, displaying the unexpected nature of violence and the tension
that is consistently present. The film transitions back and forth within Chris’ home and service life, and if Eastwood stumbles
in any way it’s in the
portrayal of the home life where little time is spent. The moments when Chris
is home, playing the role of husband and father, are the most interesting but
also the most limited. There is a lack of displaying the entire character,
especially how influenced he is by the life he leaves on numerous occasions.
While this demonstrates the sacrifice of those serving it could have been
utilized to add depth and emotion to the character.
“American Sniper” is an
interesting character study with an exceptional performance by Bradley Cooper
and confidently directed by Clint Eastwood. The film wisely never consolidates
politics into the narrative but instead simply displays the difficult decisions
made everyday during war by men and women tasked with a job. While the film
could have offered more exploration into the influences and struggles of family
life for the soldier, “American Sniper” is still a
well composed portrayal of a man who served his country with pride.
Monte’s Rating
3.75 out of 5.00
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