MOVIE REVIEW: AMERICAN SNIPER

There are things going on in American Sniper that I'm just not sure I understand. I'm tempted to call it a decent movie with one hell of a performance out of Bradley Cooper. But, if the things I think I get are things I actually get, the move is a trip and a half.

First off, Sienna Miller, who plays Chris Kyle's wife, is never ever ever a likable character. Even her introductory scene is one where she is purposely being a bitch. On top of not being a likable character, it is rare that she is even a sympathetic character. It's a hell of a thing to pull off to be unsympathetic as an Armed Forces wife.

Second, the "big bad" is given a very humanizing scene where we see his family. We see this right after Kyle leaves his family to return to the war. Not only that, but the "big bad" is a character made up for the film, and is in direct opposition to Kyle in a few scenes. He is also has the same specialty that Kyle does.

Third, a kid gets slugged and we're supposed to accept it as an audience. But this acceptance doesnot happen in the Ethics 101 "what would you do" after the situation type of way. It's real time, you throw up your hands and say, "wow."

Fourth, the Hero Worship of Chris Kyle happens predominantly off screen. We're shown once, in a flashback, that Chris Kyle is the good guy. After that, it is up to the viewer. Even as we feel his shame in a growing iconic status.

Fifth, as the movie goes on, you feel something is missing. That "something" is soul. That "something" is a connection between characters. That "something" is the tame lapse that occurs during and between four tours.

But Cooper's performance is phenomenal. So, is this faulty movie making? Or were these purposeful decisions made to accentuate Kyle's descent from a confident moral arbiter to a man who almost throws a haymaker on Lassie?

I cannot say.

I do believe it was masterful how religion played a role to the characters in the movie, but did not become a thematic "us versus them" type of distraction.

All that said, if it is faulty movie making, Cooper's performance makes up for it. If it is intentional, bravo Eastwood. Bravo.

88/100

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ADRIAN FORT is a writer, blogger, and essayist from Kansas City, Missouri. Follow him on twitter @adriananyway. His work has appeared in Existere, decomP magazinE, The Bluest Aye, Bareback Magazine, Gadfly Online, Chrome Baby, The Eunoia Review, Linguistic Erosion, and Smashed Cat Magazine. His Master's Degree is from Lindenwood University.