Country: USA
Movie Review: “American Sniper” is a biographical war drama that marks the return of prolific director, Clint Eastwood, who just a few months ago had presented the also biographical but disappointing, “Jersey Boys”. In this new film he introduces us the story of US Navy Seal, Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), a former cowboy, who was turned into a hero after serve his country in four dangerous tours in Iraq. Highly patriotic, Kyle was responsible for more than 160 confirmed kills, deed that conferred him the title of the most lethal sniper in US history. Seen as a golden trump in the deadly fight against the terrorism, Kyle showed to be a man of integrity in his duty, but at some point he became simultaneously sickly addicted to adrenaline (the shaking “Hurt Locker” immediately bounced into my mind) and affected with the atrocities seen in the Middle East combat. His wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), was the mirror of discontentment each time he was home, since he was quietly absorbed in his thoughts and didn’t show much availability for her and their kids. The powerful war scenes were much appreciated, bestowing the ideal suspense and action. I was stunned by Kyles’s last combat during a sand storm and his risky rescue, but in the opposite way to these, the family drama didn’t have almost any impact, giving the sensation of having been handled with slight superficiality. Not so absorbing or thrilling as “Zero Dark Thirty” and with a lame ending, “American Sniper” still has something (sad) to say, working both as a homage to a great soldier and a warning that war can wreck people’s lives. Great direction Mr. Eastwood!, yet a bit more was expected.
