Rating: B+
A realistic portrayal of the traumas and difficulties that America’s deployed face both at war and at home, Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” delivers an intensely violent and emotional depiction of U.S. Navy Seal Chris Kyle and his experiences as a sniper during four tours in the Iraq War. Despite showcasing a powerhouse performance from Bradley Cooper as Kyle and vocalizing real concerns for members of the U.S. military, “American Sniper” cannot be described as a complete success, much like the war itself.
Under the direction of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood – whose previous directorial credits include the war films “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters from Iwo Jima” – “American Sniper” pulsates with red-blooded patriotism. Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in the history of the U.S. military with 160 confirmed and 255 probable kills, drips with the swagger of a native Texan determined to defend his home country at all costs.
No doubt, Cooper portrays Chris Kyle exactly as he was: honest, hard-working, God-fearing and overtly masculine. Cooper physically transforms into Kyle, gaining noticeable muscle mass and even sports a tasteful Texan drawl. But most impressive is how Cooper navigates through the brooding nature of Kyle, utilizing an iron jaw, steely eyes and even a well-formed “dip lip,” to subtly emote what Kyle will not otherwise vocalize. Cooper transforms Kyle from a wannabe cowboy into a physical presence, a force of nature and a lethal assassin.
In spite of this intimidating façade, Cooper slowly allows Kyle to break down into someone more vulnerable as the war takes its toll. These moments, in which Kyle lowers his defenses, are the most poignant, especially with his tender – and sometimes strained – interactions with wife Taya (Sienna Miller) and in the personal struggles he faces over those he has killed. Cooper naturally flows between the drastic disconnect between his home life and life at war and, all the while, consistently maintains the genuine, homegrown courage that allowed Chris Kyle to be so special in the first place. Cooper’s instinctive performance was clearly buoyed by Jason Hall’s screenplay, which was adapted from Kyle’s own autobiography.
Sienna Miller as Taya, wife to Chris Kyle and mother to his children, does not bring anything new or even particularly good to her “army wife” role. Miller never fully realizes Taya, in spite of knowing her in real life. Here, she squanders her chance to revitalize her career by performing routinely and dully.
However, the real issue with this film is not the poor quality of Miller’s acting but the distinct one-sided nature of Eastwood’s direction and Jason Hall’s writing. While the film accurately depicts the hardships that our soldiers face and rightfully shows that they should be respected and honored, “American Sniper” becomes less of a biopic of the late Chris Kyle and more of a piece of American propaganda.
As we all know, war – like every other aspect of life – is never clearly good-versus-bad. Unfortunately, “American Sniper” would argue otherwise. More than once, Kyle’s character openly states that there is evil in Iraq, and most of the Iraqi people are depicted as one-dimensional villains, with only feeble attempts by the filmmakers to make them otherwise. Only in a passing response does any character ever openly question the U.S. military presence in Iraq and suggests that evil is everywhere, and that dialogue comes from a supporting character.
Kyle clearly struggles with killing – especially when it involves women and children – but his personal conflict never evolves to include the real “why” of being in Iraq. Mirroring most of mainstream America, Kyle finds solace in the simple argument that “we’re good, and they’re bad,” and if we don’t beat them at their home front, they’ll threaten ours. Perhaps this view is why the film has achieved so much success; it taps into a red, white and blue belief that America is the greatest country in the world and can do no wrong.
From a nation currently dealing with issues of immigration, religious tolerance and equality, Clint Eastwood could have used the obvious appeal of the film to depict a well-rounded view of the Iraq War rather than perpetuate popular but unsubstantiated beliefs. Doing this would have not taken anything away from the film but would have bettered it.
If you ignore the misguided political stance of “American Sniper,” you can appreciate the film as a gritty, emotional and powerful story about an American soldier and his experiences with modern warfare.
With six Academy Award nominations – including Best Picture and Best Actor for Bradley Cooper – “American Sniper” is a very well made film and currently the sixth highest grossing film from 2014. Even so, I would not personally include it as one of the best releases from last year, although the fake baby almost won me over.
