January 23rd in Chicago. There's been a lot of controversy to say the least around this film. What I would like to do is judge the film on it's own. I read reviews about the film prior to seeing and I wanted to be objective, it was difficult. What I am not going to get into are the political ramifications. I expect films that are "based on actual events/true story" to be fictionalized to some degree. I also don't want to get into whether or not Chris Kyle was a gallant gentleman. First and foremost, he served his country in a time of war. That's admirable.
All controversy aside, there were a lot of problems with this film. I never read Kyle's book and have no idea how he met his wife. But, it is such an overused cliche in a military film that soldiers meet their wives in bars. That's how "Maverick met "Charlie". The dialogue of the scene is also redundant, Sienna Miller says something along the lines like she wouldn't date a SEAL and naturally she goes home with him at the end of the night. I would have like to have seen a little more of his SEAL training and a little less of his courtship. In regards to his SEAL training, it mostly consists of instructors spraying recruits with a hose while hurling insults at them. Jarhead did a much better job of showing the training of an elite unit and American Sniper could have done the same.
Eastwood does some good things. I thought he did a nice job of showing the difficulty of military life in Iraq. The conditions were difficult at best. But the main plot line of Kyle's time in Iraq is based on a manufactured plot. There was no "Butcher" and there was no "Mustafa." Eastwood opted to go for a subplot similar to Ed Harris v. Jude Law in Enemy at the Gates. It was also hard for me to believe that Klye, a dedicated and disciplined soldier in an elite unit, would call his wife in the middle of a firefight. Twice. Maybe it did happen but it seems too much like Eastwood was trying to manufacture an emotional response from the audience. "Is he going to make?" Yes he is because the man was murdered after he had rotated back to the states. There's also the scene where Kyle finally gets Mustafa with an IMPOSSIBLE shot from an unbelievable distance under bad conditions. The shot alerts the insurgents to the American presence, not sure how they missed the convoy coming in but whatever, and soon the American position is under attack against insurmountable odds. ANother military film cliche. Despite that this particular incident did not happen, remember there was no Mustafa, things like this may have happened. Things like this did happen but it was made worse by the fact that a massive sandstorm came in to neutralize the overwhelming air superiority that American forces had. Again, something along these lines may have happened but it was too convenient for this film.
As far as Kyle's life at home in between tours was interesting about how PTSD, if that's what it can be called and I am not a doctor nor do I want to belittle something that combat veterans go through, is portrayed. Kyle just kind of ignores his family and Miller whines about how he's needed at home and even threatened to leave him. If Kyle suffered from some form of PTSD, Eastwood and Cooper portray his dealing with it through denial. Kyle is uncomfortable about being known as "Legend," for his legendary skills. To him he's just protecting his fellow soldiers. When he's getting his oil changed he runs into a marine whose life he saved in Iraq and it is an awkward scene. The marine suggest the Kyle come to the VA to talk to other recovering vets. By going to the VA, talking with other vets and speaking with a counselor, he starts to let go and the healing process begins.
The performances were good, especially Cooper but this is not Eastwood's best work. The film does come off as propaganda at times. As a film American Sniper is mediocre at best. See the film and judge for yourself. However, I would encourage people to see Sebastian Junger's documentary films Restrepo and Korengal about life in a combat zone. Thank you for your time.
