American Sniper (2014)

In American Sniper Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, a real life Navy SEAL sharp shooter. The story is based on the Autobiography by Chris Kyle and chronicles his life and legend where he is reported to have over 150 confirmed kills in his career as a SEAL. The movie, directed by a legend in his own right Clint Eastwood, opens in the midst of battle where Kyle is about to make his very first confirmed kill. From there the movie jumps around with a series of flash backs to get you up to speed on the background of Kyle from childhood to how he ended up as a America's most deadly sniper. After the flashbacks, the movie takes you from one gruesome battle situation to another highlighting some of the more noteworthy kills of his career; all while trying to hold down a family, marriage and his own sanity.

Overall this is not Eastwood's best work. There is no real visual style here. I wanted this badly to be on the level of Lone Survivor (2013). Yet with the exception of Cooper and Sienna Miller who plays Kyle's wife, there are no other real marquee actors. The performances seem flat and the world created seem one dimensional. Think the level of acting seen in Act of Valor (2012). Yes, there are some real military in here similarly, yet the actual paid actors are nothing special. That being said I think Eastwood was a very good choice for directing in this film. In order to truly honor the life of Chris Kyle the direction of the picture can't be politically motivated. There are many directors in Hollywood who would have loaded it too message heavy. This film does exactly what it sets out to do and highlights the life of the man and his family. Out of respect for the family I feel a lot was left out about the end of his life. It's very hard to fight back tears at the end of this movie.

The real magic in this film is the performance given by Bradley Cooper. Cooper has been signed on to do this film since before Kyle's untimely death in 2012. Cooper briefly spoke with Kyle and met his family to get a feel for the role. Cooper is much smaller in comparison, so he put on nearly 40lbs to play the role. Along with the change in appearance his mannerisms and Texas accent are down to the proper detail. There are moments in the movie where you forget it's the A list actor Bradley Cooper. This is a career defining role that transcends the movie itself. With a dip of Copenhagen in his mouth, hat on backwards and Punisher emblem emblazoned on his armor, there is almost a superhero like quality to it all. And why not, here is a real life man who was the best at what he did, and he did it all for truth, justice and the American way. Like Batman or Superman Cooper's portrayal of Kyle is larger than life. I have no doubt the Academy will take notice of this performance.

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