American Sniper Review (2014)

American Sniper   

 

  I'm not usually a fan of Clint Eastwood films because they tend to be on the boring side, but I have to say that American Sniper is definitely the best I've seen from him. 

  American Sniper was a lot like the movie Argo in that it's incredibly intense without having to add a bunch of explosions and too much gore. It tells a heavy story about a sniper who deals with post traumatic stress disorder during his four years on tour.
  I think it's worth saying that after watching this film, I definitely have a new found respect for the military.
  Bradley Cooper gives an excellent, dynamic performance as Chris Kyle and really transformed himself for the role. However, I do think his character could have been played by a lot of other actors and still would have been just as good. Kyle wasn't perfect and the movie never tries to portray him as so. In fact, I think it really humanized him.
  It's hard to say that I enjoyed American Sniper in the same way I would enjoy a Marvel movie or something. It's the story of a man's life that was hard and tragic and difficult. Because they try not to Hollywoodize the movie too much, the plotting does lag at points sometimes to the point where there isn't really a plot at all. This isn't necessarily a gripe, but from a movie stand point, it does makes it less entertaining then some of the other Oscar nominees. If I wanted to watch a movie about PTSD, I think 2009's Brothers was a more compelling character study, but American Sniper is a very well done film and gets 3.5 out of 5 stars from me. (Worth Ticket Price)