In a Netflix movie debut, Beasts of No Nation goes all out with brutality and violence. Do yourself a favor and don't eat anything red while watching this movie, like raviolis or something like that. Beasts of No Nation follows a young boy named Agu who lives in a worn torn part of Africa that never really gets specified. The very beginning of the film shows their way of life, how it is a struggle for money and most of their neighborhood lives in poverty. The beginning shows Agu as a nice boy who does common things to try and make some money for his family, during the first half hour of the film, he is a normal boy. As he continues to live on in an essential war zone, governmental figures show up and take over their village, many of them accuse people who are still in the village as rebels and shoot them dead on the spot. Agu who is played by Abraham Attah finally runs away from all the gun fire, with his father and brother dead, and disconnected from his mother. As Agu is running he is found by a rebel group who is run by a man they repeatedly call Commandent. The movie has some celebrity weight as famous British actor Idris Elba plays the rebellion leader, which essential gives Agu a new way of life.
Much of the film is filmed outside and is uses many shots that appeal to the eye of the viewer to make it a pleasure walking. The screen is filled up with great shots of the outdoors in almost every scene. The emotional impact of the film comes from the little kids who keep getting recruited by the rebellious army. You get a desperate feeling from Agu as his character slowly turns into this monster. It is more than just him becoming angry and killing people like the others around him, I think the movies message is that his anger is really pent up from missing his mother. The movie doesn't lighten up on the violence either, I have watched a lot of movies that you think are violent but this movie left me with some scenes that dropped my jaw and say, "Oh My God!." Which eventually led my roommate in the room to see what was going on.
Overall, I liked this film very much. You could say that some of it was definitely influenced from the movie 12 Years A Slave, but to me, the violence is what this movie needed. It shows the growth of the character Agu, and the violent scenes alone gives you something to talk about with your friends weeks after you watch it. And for that I give this movie an 8 out of 10.
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.
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).
