American Sniper - directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman, Sammy Sheik, Eric Close
Running Time: 132 minutes
Rated: R16 - frequent scenes of graphic war violence, language
As an actor Clint Eastwood to me is a legend - an almost godlike figure in the movie business.
As a director?.... not quite so much.
Don't get me wrong - when he's good- he is good.
But he is also frequently very, very average.
For every "Million Dollar Baby", "Changeling", "Unforgiven" and "The Outlaw Josey Wales" there is a "Blood Work", "Bronco Billy", "Heartbreak Ridge", "Firefox" and "The Rookie".
I enjoy all of them and there isn't a bad movie in there but the uneven output means that Clint Eastwood's name on the directors chair doesn't get me as remotely excited for a movie as does a Nolan, Mann, Bigelow or Jackson.
In fact the last time I gushed over a Clint Eastwood directed movie was a little over ten years ago with 2014's "Million Dollar Baby".
(To be fair "Changeling" is a fine movie too but it isn't necessarily a great work of directing)
That now changes because "American Sniper" is easily his best work since his Oscar winning boxing flick.
This is a based on true story about Chris Kyle who is regarded as America's deadliest ever sniper.
With 160 confirmed kills and close to the same unconfirmed he wrote a bestseller detailing his decade of military service as a Navy SEAL.
I haven't read the book and I don't know how true to life this film version is but regardless it is an exciting tale indeed.
From the first scene we dip right into the action with Kyle in Iraq atop a building watching over a squad of American Marines.
It sets the tone nicely as we see Kyle scanning for threats and finally settling on one- a woman and a young boy carrying a rocket propelled grenade.
If you've watched the trailer you know the scene - tense, compelling stuff.
Strangely Eastwood defuses all of that tension with a very clever cut away back to Kyle's childhood.
I say clever because whilst it does seem odd to 'squander' all of the tense build up the backstory is important, interesting stuff and Eastwood transitions to it with the snap of a bullet that hits a deer rather than an Iraqi child.
A young Chris is taught to hunt by his strict Father who tells him that there are three sorts of people in life - sheep, wolves and sheepdogs.
The sheep don't believe in evil and cannot protect themselves so it becomes the sheepdogs role to keep the wolves from them.
The moral code that will play such an important part in Chris's life is laid out.
When 9/11 happens he signs up to the Navy SEAL programme seeing his chance to put his Father's lessons into practice.
And all of that 'lost' tension proves to be merely on hold as soon enough we are right back on that rooftop with Kyle's crosshairs firmly on that young boy in the streets of Iraq.
Any doubts that this film is going to pull back on the horrors of the conflict are also quickly dispelled as we see plentiful examples of why Kyle was known as "The Devil" by his enemies and "Legend" to his comrades.
I was surprised by how much action is in this film and also by the quality.
Eastwood is a workmanlike director- efficient more than flashy- but here he cuts loose with some terrific combat scenes including one beginning with a stunning aerial sweep over the conflict and a gonzo gunship in a sandstorm sequence.
The pacing is bang on with the scenes set back home with new wife Taya (a great turn by the lovely Sienna Miller) serving to give us a breather but more importantly to show the ever more obvious effects that the war is having on Kyle.
He sees himself a protector of his countrymen- the sheepdog that his Father described.
It's a role that leaves him feeling empty and dissatisfied when he is not performing it and I confess that I too longed for more of the scenes in Iraq every time he returned home.
An intentional result I am sure.
A lot of the draw of this film is the rivalry between Kyle and a sniper named Mustafa- a Syrian former Olympic shooter.
With a bounty on his head much of the second half of the movie focuses on Kyle's obsession with stopping this man.
It has shades of the excellent "Enemy At the Gates" and Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar winning "The Hurt Locker".
It's great work from Eastwood who gets a fine performance out of Bradley Cooper who portrays a man slowly being destroyed by a war he is seemingly made to fight in.
Both men have never been better in their respective roles.
"American Sniper" is not dull for one second.
Loaded with action without sacrificing character and backstory it may be over two hours long but it fairly zips by.
It is an uncompromising, thought provoking film and even if you are familiar with the ultimate end to the real life Chris Kyle it will gave you on the edge of your seat more often than not.
For a long time America's military involvement in the Middle East was box office poison but the likes of "Zero Dark Thirty", "Lone Survivor" and "Jarhead have done much to reverse the trend.
"America Sniper" joins them very comfortably.
Superb.
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman, Sammy Sheik, Eric CloseRunning Time: 132 minutes
Rated: R16 - frequent scenes of graphic war violence, language
As an actor Clint Eastwood to me is a legend - an almost godlike figure in the movie business.
As a director?.... not quite so much.
Don't get me wrong - when he's good- he is good.
But he is also frequently very, very average.
For every "Million Dollar Baby", "Changeling", "Unforgiven" and "The Outlaw Josey Wales" there is a "Blood Work", "Bronco Billy", "Heartbreak Ridge", "Firefox" and "The Rookie".
I enjoy all of them and there isn't a bad movie in there but the uneven output means that Clint Eastwood's name on the directors chair doesn't get me as remotely excited for a movie as does a Nolan, Mann, Bigelow or Jackson.
In fact the last time I gushed over a Clint Eastwood directed movie was a little over ten years ago with 2014's "Million Dollar Baby".
(To be fair "Changeling" is a fine movie too but it isn't necessarily a great work of directing)
That now changes because "American Sniper" is easily his best work since his Oscar winning boxing flick.
This is a based on true story about Chris Kyle who is regarded as America's deadliest ever sniper.
With 160 confirmed kills and close to the same unconfirmed he wrote a bestseller detailing his decade of military service as a Navy SEAL.
I haven't read the book and I don't know how true to life this film version is but regardless it is an exciting tale indeed.
From the first scene we dip right into the action with Kyle in Iraq atop a building watching over a squad of American Marines.
It sets the tone nicely as we see Kyle scanning for threats and finally settling on one- a woman and a young boy carrying a rocket propelled grenade.
If you've watched the trailer you know the scene - tense, compelling stuff.
Strangely Eastwood defuses all of that tension with a very clever cut away back to Kyle's childhood.
I say clever because whilst it does seem odd to 'squander' all of the tense build up the backstory is important, interesting stuff and Eastwood transitions to it with the snap of a bullet that hits a deer rather than an Iraqi child.
A young Chris is taught to hunt by his strict Father who tells him that there are three sorts of people in life - sheep, wolves and sheepdogs.
The sheep don't believe in evil and cannot protect themselves so it becomes the sheepdogs role to keep the wolves from them.
The moral code that will play such an important part in Chris's life is laid out.
When 9/11 happens he signs up to the Navy SEAL programme seeing his chance to put his Father's lessons into practice.
And all of that 'lost' tension proves to be merely on hold as soon enough we are right back on that rooftop with Kyle's crosshairs firmly on that young boy in the streets of Iraq.
Any doubts that this film is going to pull back on the horrors of the conflict are also quickly dispelled as we see plentiful examples of why Kyle was known as "The Devil" by his enemies and "Legend" to his comrades.
I was surprised by how much action is in this film and also by the quality.
Eastwood is a workmanlike director- efficient more than flashy- but here he cuts loose with some terrific combat scenes including one beginning with a stunning aerial sweep over the conflict and a gonzo gunship in a sandstorm sequence.
 |
| The realistic war scenes are tense, violent and thrilling |
He sees himself a protector of his countrymen- the sheepdog that his Father described.
It's a role that leaves him feeling empty and dissatisfied when he is not performing it and I confess that I too longed for more of the scenes in Iraq every time he returned home.
An intentional result I am sure.
A lot of the draw of this film is the rivalry between Kyle and a sniper named Mustafa- a Syrian former Olympic shooter.
With a bounty on his head much of the second half of the movie focuses on Kyle's obsession with stopping this man.
It has shades of the excellent "Enemy At the Gates" and Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar winning "The Hurt Locker".
It's great work from Eastwood who gets a fine performance out of Bradley Cooper who portrays a man slowly being destroyed by a war he is seemingly made to fight in.
Both men have never been better in their respective roles.
 |
| left-right - Cooper & Sienna Miller, the real couple, Cooper and Eastwood and a visual effects shot |
Loaded with action without sacrificing character and backstory it may be over two hours long but it fairly zips by.
It is an uncompromising, thought provoking film and even if you are familiar with the ultimate end to the real life Chris Kyle it will gave you on the edge of your seat more often than not.
For a long time America's military involvement in the Middle East was box office poison but the likes of "Zero Dark Thirty", "Lone Survivor" and "Jarhead have done much to reverse the trend.
"America Sniper" joins them very comfortably.
Superb.
- RATING: 90/100
- CONCLUSION: Must see- Eastwood's best film as director
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