AMERICAN SNIPER Review

There is an immediate sense of dread from the moment the black fades into the overwhelming tank crawling towards us in Clint Eastwood's American Sniper. Combined with the bombarding sound design that insists your heart start beating faster it's apparent the veteran director intends to put you right in the middle of the action. It's not that the life of Chris Kyle was filled with nothing but dread or other related emotions, but it was certainly filled with a fair amount. Based on the memoir penned primarily by Kyle of the same name, Eastwood and lead actor Bradley Cooper have acquired a no frills way of telling a straightforward story about what seemed to be a very direct man. I have not read Kyle's memoir from which this film was adapted, but if you take away anything from the film version it is the state of mind of which Cooper's Kyle was always in. There is a consistent sense of complete confidence in himself that infiltrates the viewers perception of how events will play out, but where things become gray are in the contemplations of how what he is doing might fit into his overall role in life. From the teachings passed down by his father, he was bred to look at the world as a very black and white place, as a place where only a limited number of personalities existed and where the rule of absolutes made him something of a protector to those who couldn't or didn't know how to defend themselves. When it comes to portraying this type of mentality on screen though one could encounter a few issues given our protagonist isn't the most articulate with his emotions and much of the drama surrounding his wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), deals with his long absences during tours that's unfortunately become so common at this point it's hard not to convey without a hackneyed stench hanging over it. Attempting to make something more out of this or dig deeper into the material so as to come up with a kind of insight or original angle would only serve to seemingly overdo what is right in front of their faces though. And so, there are no storytelling flourishes or flowery filmmaking language incorporated, but just like the man himself, this is a very basic and to the point account that speaks volumes after the film ends by not saying much while you're in the midst.

First Trailer for AMERICAN SNIPER

In what will be director Clint Eastwood's second film this year he has teamed with Bradley Cooper who both stars as the titular sniper and serves as producer. Having read an interview in which Cooper discussed his one, brief conversation with Chris Kyle (the real life Sniper whose memoir this film is based on) before he was killed at a shooting range by a troubled Marine veteran, it is clear the actor understood he took on a great responsibility with this role. Eastwood hasn't necessarily been on fire with his films as of late, but this certainly carries a different tone. One can pick up on the precision with which this has been constructed and the care that has been taken by the tone of the trailer alone. Not only has Cooper transformed himself physically into the bulky, 6'2" Kyle but he has also seemed to inhabit the mind of a man who had to have what it takes to make a split second decision that determines the course of another human life. It is a responsibility that Cooper conveys with minimal resources here and frankly, seems to have given a performance already worthy of serious awards conversation. This may seem true because it is so clearly not his motivation yet if Cooper has proved anything over the past few years it's that he's full of surprises and I wouldn't be shocked if he walks away with a statue. The one cause for concern is screenwriter Jason Dean Hall who has previously penned Spread and Paranoia; not the best résumé builders. American Sniper also stars Sienna Miller, Jake McDorman, Luke Grimes, Navid Negahban, Keir O’Donnell and opens in limited release on December 25th before expanding wider on January 16.