American Sniper Review

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller

I was sick last week, so I couldn't see American Sniper as early as I would've liked. Last week it broke numerous records with its nationwide debut, including smashing the January record with a $90 million weekend, and a $107 million MLK holiday weekend. It also has the highest opening ever for a drama, and now it has one of the highest second weekends ever. This movie shows that if there's a movie everyone wants to see really badly, they will go to it. There's a lot of untapped potential for Hollywood, but the studio that made this movie apparently did something right with its marketing. I went to a 12:30 showing, on a Sunday, and we got there a half hour early. Still, the theater was packed already. It also has amazing word-of-mouth. Everyone seems to love this movie. This means I have to be really careful with what I say here, because I don't want anyone to misunderstand. This is an excellent movie. Is it perfect? No it's not, but for what it's trying to do, it absolutely hits the mark.

First off, I've never left a movie quite the way I left American Sniper. It was literally like leaving a funeral. So many people in one theater, and everyone was just silently shuffling out of there. It really resonates with you after. I'm still processing it. If any movie I've seen has most convinced me that war is horrible, it's this one. I'm sure I'll be proved wrong by better war movies made in the past, but for now this is it for me. I've also never seen the present day wartime shown better than it is here. When Chris Kyle and his wife were watching the Twin Towers go down, she was crying, but he just stared at the TV. He was furious. He knew he had to go back to war now. I think director Clint Eastwood did a very good job depicting his addiction to war. Yes, he was addicted to it, and in a bad way. He needed the adrenaline, and he needed to protect and avenge the lives of his fellow soldiers. They say snipers are like angels, and I'd say he took that to heart too much. He put far too much pressure on himself, and it ended up almost destroying himself and his family. He made so many dangerous decisions that risked his personal life with his wife and kids. All for combat.

The acting in the movie is spectacular. I've been a fan of Bradley Cooper ever since Silver Linings Playbook, but what a completely different role! I was shocked by his physical transformation. He looked different, he talked differently, he even walked differently! He completely became his character. A lot can be said for Sienna Miller as well, who plays his wife Taya. She really sells her role, and I think it's a hard role to come off completely believable in. She nails it. For those who know the tragic ending of American Sniper, Clint Eastwood handles it very well and very respectfully. I think he also foreshadowed incredibly well in the movie, so I could guess when a couple things would happen. Many of Kyle's PTSD episodes or mannerisms were incredibly believable. Cooper and Eastwood both need to be commended for their work bringing this incredible story to life.

My only problem was the pacing. Call me crazy, but the movie lost me a couple times. It just was a little slow in parts, and my mind wandered and I got bored really fast. That's never a good thing for a movie, and it's not just me feeling this way. But I also know a lot of people who really love the movie, which is always good. The Oscars will definitely gain a lot of viewers by including this movie in top categories like Best Picture and Best Actor for Cooper. Can it win either? I think it's a huge long shot for both, but you never know with the Oscars. For everyone saying that they "feel bad" for American Sniper's competition, see the other seven movies and you will NOT be saying that anymore. I think it'll miss out simply because there are four of five movies that are easily better than it. It's still a well-made movie that's certainly got a lot of people behind it. As for the controversy, I think it's all stupid. Whether Chris Kyle is a hero or not is up to interpretation. The movie really lets you decide, as it neither celebrates nor condemns him, but presents evidence for either side. He did some heroic things, and some that weren't so much heroic. Whether he's really a hero or not is entirely up to you.

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