Not only is Clint Eastwood a tremendous actor, but a great director as well. The best part about him is that he has a variety of genres to work with.
While he’s most known for westerns, it’s refreshing when he tries something different. Since “Gran Torino,” he hasn’t made a film that is worth remembering.
While it isn’t a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, “American Sniper” proves that Clint Eastwood knows how to reach out to an audience and tug at the heartstrings.
Looking for a way to serve his country, Chris Kyle [Bradley Cooper] enlists in the U.S. Military. Through training and hard work, Chris is accepted as a sniper for the Navy SEALS.
It isn’t until he takes out his first target that he realizes what he’s in for.
Waiting for him back home is his wife Taya [Sienna Miller] and his two young children. Throughout his career, the Department of Defense has authenticated about 160 of Chris’s kills, making him the deadliest sniper in U.S. history.
Every year, there seems to be at least one controversial film that’s nominated for an Oscar. This year, that honor has been bestowed upon “American Sniper.” Does it deserve it? No, but I don’t think that it belongs in the Best Picture category either.
Right off the bat, I believe that this is a good film. But it is nowhere near the greatness that was “Gone Girl,” which should have taken Sniper’s place in the Best Picture nominations. Cast that aside, I’m going to talk about the film based on it’s own merits.
Hands down, the best aspect of this film is Bradley Cooper. Having seen some interviews with the real Chris Kyle beforehand, I can say Cooper looks, sounds and acts just him.
Some people have viewed this film as propaganda but, because of the performance, I completely disagree. Chris is seen as a soldier as well as a human being, sometimes suffering from PTSD.
Through Cooper, we see how war has affected this man’s head and how it’s tearing him apart internally. A propaganda film would only detail the positive effects of war.
Philip Bergeron / Graphic Design Editor
The sequences with a target known as “The Butcher” were the hardest to sit through. Through Kyle’s eyes and ears, we see and hear a drill being inserted in the leg of an innocent young child. Watch it through his mind.
Do I let him continue to harm others or do everything I can to prevent this from happening again? I believe this film gave us a good reminder that we should be showing more support to our veterans. They experience things that most people will never have to go through.
When you’re in Iraq, you feel the dirt and sand thanks to Clint Eastwood’s direction. While the environment feels alive and dangerous, there were a few things that I felt could have been handled better.
First off, I have to address the fake baby. This film cost about 58 million dollars to make, yet they couldn’t get a real baby on set? That is unacceptable.
Second, every genre has it own cliches and war movies are no exception. Specific characters have certain lines where they might as well have been wearing a target on their chest. If I was in a war film, I wouldn’t talk about how I’m engaged or starting a family because I know those words, in a film like this, equal death.
The one complaint that I saw from some people was that it didn’t have the emotional impact they were expecting. I both agree and disagree with this.
Most of the film is spending time with Chris during his four tours of duty. I would have liked it if more was shown of Chris as a person, rather than a soldier. Because of this, the big emotional payoffs don’t work as well as they could have.
Don’t get me wrong, other than this, “American Sniper” is a good film. For me, it was too straight-forward with it’s storytelling that it didn’t grab me as much as I wanted it to.
I say see the film, based on Cooper’s performance alone. It doesn’t deserve to be nominated for Best Picture, but it’s worth checking out for curiosity’s sake.
Rating: B-
Matt Bilodeau can be contacted at mbilodeau@keene-equinox.com