American Sniper (2014)
Synopsis:
American
Sniper was directed by Clint Eastwood and follows the true story of the U.S
Military’s most lethal sniper, Chris Kyle. Bradley Cooper portrays Kyle as he
is sent out to Iraq to protect his fellow soldiers but when the opposition
realise how lethal he actually is, they put a bounty on his head and he quickly
becomes a prime target. Despite the stress and worry his wife has been put
through, Kyle goes on to serve four tours of Iraq but when he finally decides
to retire he realises that he will never truly escape the war.
Review:
American Sniper is a powerful and thought-provoking
film that delves into the realities of the Iraq war and the soldiers who risked
their lives every single day. Cooper’s portrayal of Chris Kyle is so believable
and moving, it allows you to distance yourself from the Hollywood star and
invest in the character of Chris Kyle. I believe the film would have benefited
from paying more attention to the after effects of the war and how soldiers
deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. American Sniper does cover this topic
briefly but it focuses more on dramatic gun fights and Kyle’s ability to
somehow be good at everything.
Cinematic, action packed and incredibly tense,
American Sniper looks beyond the ‘legend’ of Chris Kyle and allows the audience
to almost put themselves in the centre of the war and witness the true horrors
he had to endure. There were several points throughout the film when I had to
hold my breath and even shield my eyes from one particularly brutal scene, it
does shock the audience but that is the harsh reality of war and it’s clear Eastwood
has created an inspiring and honest masterpiece.
I am a huge fan of the war film genre and American
Sniper is definitely up there with the best, it manages to provoke all of your
emotions. There were times when I was incredibly tense and hoping Kyle would
make it out of the dangerous situations, it also brought a tear to my eye time
and time again and most of all, it made me feel an overwhelming sadness about
these wars and the effects it has on the soldiers. Bradley Cooper is the main
attraction in American Sniper and his ability to take on this role with
sympathy and elegance is worthy of an Oscar.
American Sniper is one of those films you can watch
several times and enjoy it again and again it offers so many depths of the
story and will never cease to blow you away. I would definitely recommend this
film to all of my friends and I already know it’s going to be joining my DVD
collection when it’s released.
4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment