American Sniper - Roy's Review
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 1:00 am
Tonight I saw AMERICAN SNIPER. (Spoilers) 2008's The Hurt Locker is the only recent war movie as dark and taut as this and there were several subtle similarities. But I digress. SNIPER is about Chris Kyle's heroics over 4 tours of duty(brilliantly portrayed by Bradley Cooper). Having learned to hunt as a boy, quicly his marksman skills are made clear. Before leaving for Iraq, Kyle meets and romances Taya who becomes his wife, (well played by Sienna Miller) after a torrid love affair. She's pregnant as he departs as a Navy Seal for his 1st tour of duty. In the Iraqi war theater, Chris is very matter of fact about his chosen duty without bravado or ego, yet racks up an impressive kill rate and becomes "a legend" to the American forces in Iraq.
Between all tours of duty, Chris comes home to be with his wife Taya and their now two children. As depicted in many other Hollywood war movies, Kyle was unable to easily transition back to home life and could only think about going back to war to protect and save his brothers at arms. His wife couldn't penetrate his disarming disassociation, but clearly loved him deeply. Quick cuts to his return to battle are part of Clint Eastwood's directing style (and this is likely my favorite of his films since Million Dollar Baby). On Kyle's final tour of duty, the mission is as intense as it can get, and the audience is silently entranced by the action. This particular scene shows why Chris Kyle deserved "hero" status and has garnered national attention in recent years, even before his gut wrenching murder.
Upon finally returning home for good, PTSD is clearly torturing him and coping is not easy; yet his mind's eye is briefly and adeptly scripted into some of the final scenes. Chris' wife, stands by her man as he seeks help, wanting to fit into society and to be a loving husband and father. We learn of his subsequent murder and the end of the movie shows throngs of veterans stretched out along the route to his memorial service in the Dallas football stadium.
My take was that this brave man signed up for a highly skilled job during war time and did everything possible to remain humane and without guilt or excuses; literally executing his duty with great skill. Dir. Eastwood not so subtly highlighted today's issues with our returning vets and how badly they need to receive the psychological assistance, some never receive or in many cases, receive too late. I saw NOTHING that glorifies war, or the job of a sniper and politicized comments to that point, seem wrong to me (solely based on what was shown on screen). I also liked the way in which Eastwood exemplified the hardship placed on the family members of our returning veterans. Regardless of feelings about THAT war and its justification, this movie is about the life of Chris Kyle and what he faced in a tragic war and then even more tragically, how his life ended.
Between all tours of duty, Chris comes home to be with his wife Taya and their now two children. As depicted in many other Hollywood war movies, Kyle was unable to easily transition back to home life and could only think about going back to war to protect and save his brothers at arms. His wife couldn't penetrate his disarming disassociation, but clearly loved him deeply. Quick cuts to his return to battle are part of Clint Eastwood's directing style (and this is likely my favorite of his films since Million Dollar Baby). On Kyle's final tour of duty, the mission is as intense as it can get, and the audience is silently entranced by the action. This particular scene shows why Chris Kyle deserved "hero" status and has garnered national attention in recent years, even before his gut wrenching murder.
Upon finally returning home for good, PTSD is clearly torturing him and coping is not easy; yet his mind's eye is briefly and adeptly scripted into some of the final scenes. Chris' wife, stands by her man as he seeks help, wanting to fit into society and to be a loving husband and father. We learn of his subsequent murder and the end of the movie shows throngs of veterans stretched out along the route to his memorial service in the Dallas football stadium.
My take was that this brave man signed up for a highly skilled job during war time and did everything possible to remain humane and without guilt or excuses; literally executing his duty with great skill. Dir. Eastwood not so subtly highlighted today's issues with our returning vets and how badly they need to receive the psychological assistance, some never receive or in many cases, receive too late. I saw NOTHING that glorifies war, or the job of a sniper and politicized comments to that point, seem wrong to me (solely based on what was shown on screen). I also liked the way in which Eastwood exemplified the hardship placed on the family members of our returning veterans. Regardless of feelings about THAT war and its justification, this movie is about the life of Chris Kyle and what he faced in a tragic war and then even more tragically, how his life ended.