American Sniper (2015) (English Lang.)

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132min

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Jake McDorman…and more

Writers: Jason Hall, Chris Kyle, James Defelice… more

Clint Eastwood directs and Bradley Cooper stars in a dramatization of the autobiography of US Navy Seal Chief Chris Kyle who is considered the US Army’s most lethal marksman ever with over 150 confirmed kills.

Spanning most of Kyle’s adult life from his youth in Texas to his Navy training through his 4 tours of duty in the Iraq War to his retirement from the American Armed Forces, American Sniper is as much a drama about the personal consequences of armed conflict as it is a tense and gripping modern war film.

Indeed there is nothing new about the battle elements in this film both in terms of the dramatic content and the visual style, there is nothing here we haven’t seen in films like Green Zone and The Hurt Locker, even the clear “sniper vs. sniper” narrative we’ve seen in Enemy at the Gates.

It seems that the action is there to service the main and more interesting theme of the film which is the personal sacrifices made in war by soldiers and their loved ones, albeit a completely one-sided view of this universal theme.

The forces of “family at home” and “bothers-in-arms” pulling Kyle in different directions are what make the film more engaging than a straight war drama and are brought to life by a career-high performance from Bradley Cooper, almost worth his surprise last minute Oscar nomination if you don’t consider some of the performances that were overlooked.

American Sniper does often feel like a slightly patriotic Hollywood proposal from Eastwood and the moral tone of the film is very black-and-white and good vs. evil, indeed the only grey area seems to be within the hearts and minds of the “good guys” themselves.

However you must remember that this true-life story is based on Kyle’s own autobiography and if you have a look at one of his many post-service interviews online you will get a very clear picture of where the moral centre of the film comes from.

All in all American Sniper is no Anti-War classic and is not the most memorable Clint Eastwood presentation ever so we are sceptical but perhaps not surprised by the last minute “Best Picture” Oscar nomination, nevertheless it’s still a powerful and reflective film with an outstanding central performance from Bradley Cooper that makes it easily worth a trip to the cinema.