American Sniper Review
By David Kempler
Nice Shot, But No Bull's Eye
"American Sniper", Clint Eastwood's latest, is the story of Chris Kyle, who is recognized as the greatest sniper in the history of the United States armed forces. It's based on Kyle's autobiography and there has been a lot of chatter about how true to the book it is, but, that doesn't concern me. This is a review of the movie.
We meet Kyle as a young boy as he is out hunting for the first time, with his dad. Kyle is clearly a natural marksman. Dad is stern with Kyle. He wants to make sure that Kyle learns the right way to do things, not just in regards to hunting, but in every facet of life. His mantra is that there are three types of people; wolves (bullies), sheep (the bullied), and sheepdogs (the ones who defend the weak from the wolves). Dad reminds me of how fathers were portrayed fifty years ago.
As a young adult, Kyle (Bradley Cooper) is living an average life, but everything changes when he watches the World Trade Center towers collapse on television. He feels he must defend his country and he heads right in to enlist.
Off to boot camp he goes. He's a bit older than the other recruits, but his never-give-up attitude and his marksmanship land him in the elite Navy SEALs. While training, he meets Taya (Sienna Miller), and after a relatively quick span of time, they get married. At the reception, he and his buddies get the call they have been waiting for. They are heading to the Middle East.
Kyle loves his time there, returning time after time. His personal life is suffering, but he is a person who can only see through a funnel. He wants to kill the bad guys and protect the good guys. I have no idea if Kyle was like this in real-life, but as he is portrayed, he is more machine than man.
It's only when he finally comes home for good that you think of him as a person who thinks about more than killing during every waking moment of his life. At a party in his backyard he almost kills the family dog while flashing back to war. He is suffering horribly from post-traumatic stress disorder and he knows he has to do something about it.
Kyle goes to see a government shrink, and after a two-minute chat, his PTSD is miraculously over and his whole life is turned around. I suppose this might have happened that way, but I'd bet against it.
Eastwood is obviously an excellent director, and technically, "American Sniper" is a great watch, particularly the war scenes that make you feel like you are in the middle of it. Most of the family life scenes don't play nearly as well. If you just want to be entertained, see it. If you're looking for a bit more, you might be disappointed, but overall, "American Sniper" hits its target.
