American Sniper

American Sniper is Clint Eastwood returning to his directional roots as he follows the life of Chris Kyle, a sniper with the most recorded kills as a sniper in U.S. Military history. He joins the Navy Seals and fights in many battles during the Iraq war. He I often regarded as the "Legend," in real life and also many times during the film. Bradley Cooper leads the movie playing Chris Kyle and gives one of his best performences as a man affected by what he has seen while fighting. The film bounces back and forth from Kyle's home life to his struggles in dealing with the war mentally.

"American Sniper" movie poster. Original

Likes
I love American Sniper as an overally film based on the fact that it is the best movie to show what a soldier may actually go through concerning PTSD. It showed how the stress of the war carries into his home life and how it affects his family. It packs an emotional punch because there are some scenes that show Chris Kyle actually showing a sign of relief that he didn't have to take out a small child carrying an RPG. It is more than just a war movie, it shows how Chris Kyle was an actual human being and not just seemed to be an invincible human being that some war movies try to present.

Dislikes
Even though my dislike for this movie is on a small scale, one thing I did dislike was how some parts of the movie were very hollywood type ending. Chris Kyle made a shot from 2100 yards away, that is not the hollywood part that I am talking about, because that did in fact happen. What I disliked about the movie was almost like a chase scene between him and enemy sniper Mustafa. According to History vs. Hollywood, Chris Kyle only mentioned the name of Mustafa once in his book while the 2100 yard shot was made to take out a man with an RPG. It seems like they had to create a hollywood type of chase between bad and good while just re-enactng scenes from the book shouldve just worked just as well.

Overall, I give American Sniper a 8/10. It is a great salute to those who have served our country and sacrificed more than I could even imagine. It goes beyond being just people shooting at each other for two hours, in has depth, and it gives you emotion while keeping the realities of the war. It is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars, Bradley Cooper (Chris Kyle), and Sienna Miller (Tayla Kyle).


References Used:
http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/american-sniper/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2179136/