American Sniper

Almost every day, you hear on the news about people killed in a war, worldwide. Even if we wish that we should all live in peace, i am afraid that will never happen. The war industry is much bigger than most of us would expect, making more weapons, mines, different types of ammunition, and people will always be interested in this business. If you take a look at America and see the gun issues, i can´t help to feel sadness. I don´t mind if people own a gun in their home, but when they own machine guns, and other weapons made to use in war around their kids, i feel that this is wrong. To protect yourself is one thing, you can do that with a simple hand gun, but a big machine gun ? I think some people in America should think about what they are doing. They have enough problems already, especially when their soldiers are killed overseas in war. I will admit that these soldiers are brave, fighting for their country. What i am trying to say is that ordinary people do not need war guns in their homes. Leave that to the army instead, who are trained to use weapons in combat, in all sizes. Speaking of military, i will never understand how it is to be in war with another country. When you see soldiers in combat, on news channels, it must be a very complicated situation knowing you will have to kill, in different situations. Not knowing if you will survive, must be hard to live with. Let´s not forget the families that support their soldiers, while they have to be prepared that their loved ones could die in battle. This is a complicated situation for everyone involved. I don´t want war, but i realise that maybe we need military operations to be active, especially when terrorists are killing so many innocent victims. Have you ever read the story about Chris Kyle ? He is known for being the most lethal sniper in U.S. history. He became a legend all over America, and a role model for many people. Unfortunately he was murdered on february 2, in 2013. Clint Eastwood, both legendary actor and director, decided to direct a film, telling the story about sniper Chris Kyle. In the lead role as Chris, we find the very talented actor Bradley Cooper, who have delivered many good performances over the years. With this combination, and a story of a soldier who made a change in military history, is this as good as i hoped for, or is the hype way out of line ?

As a young boy, Chris Kyle learned how to hunt in the forest with his father . He is taught that the rifle is the most important detail in hunting. You have to know how to handle your weapon. As Chris ( Bradley Cooper ) is older, he is a rodeo cowboy, doing rodeo performances. When he comes home one night, his girlfriend is cheating on him, so he throws her out. He sees a news report on tv, about the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Nairobi. Since he see no meaning in life as a rodeo cowboy, he decide to join the U.S. Navy. He manage to get into the SEAL training program, and succeed to become a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper. One night out with the boys in a bar, Chris meet Taya Renae ( Sienna Miller ). They start seeing each other, and become a couple. It does not take long until they decide to get married. After the 9/11 Attack on New York, Chris is sent to Iraq. On a mission , he kills a young child and a mother, who both try and attack with a grenade. His team says he made the right decision, but the memory of killing a child sticks inside the mind of Chris. He is assigned to locate Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ( Mido Hamada ), and kill him. Abu is also known as " The Butcher ". A man says he knows where " The Butcher " is located, but demand 100.000 dollars to help Chris and his team. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a very dangerous man, but they are determined to find him. The team manage to find Abu and his men, but a sniper takes out some of the men, leaving Chris to make some other decisions. Abu kills the man who helped the american, and his son, warning that more will be victims. Since the mission fails, Chris is send home to his pregnant wife. A son is born, and Chris is filled with joy. Even if he just became a father, he goes back to Iraq to find " The Butcher ". Chris is changing for each time he comes back to Iraq, the war is affecting him in many different ways.

I have not seen the film Jersey Boys, also directed by Clint Eastwood, that he directed before American Sniper. Maybe one of the reasons why i decided not to watch it was that the bad reviews gave me a warning sign. I did enjoy his previous film Trouble With The Curve, a baseball film with some great acting, even Justin Timberlake managed to deliver a good character. American Sniper is based on the true story of sniper Chris Kyle. When you read about what he accomplished, with 160 confirmed kills, you realise that he was not anyone to mess with. There is no sniper in the history of USA, that have managed to kill this number ever, so he truly was the most lethal sniper of all time. Bradley Cooper who plays Chris Kyle, does a really good performance. He seems to have worked very hard to make his character look like Chris Kyle, and that makes a big difference. The story around Chris is filled with many moments in his military career. You get to see how he started in the military, how he managed to survive Navy Seals training, and how he developed to become the best sniper in american history. The acting from almost all corners, manage to float just fine. The biggest strength is the way Clint Eastwood manage to make such a powerful perspective of the challenges that awaits Chris Kyles missions. You can feel yourself being there on location. He might be getting older, but he is still damn good director. I would also like to say that actor Sienna Miller, who plays Chris wife Taya, makes a very good performance. She is the perfect example of how you can act as a wife, both tough, funny, and not the typical housewife we are used to see. You might have heard of the controversy baby scene ? Well, you can tell that the baby is not real, this should have been done correctly if you ask me. A plastic baby looks pretty silly. American Sniper is a film that tell a very important story, of a man who made a big difference for his country. The tragedy that Chris Kyle was brutally murdered in 2013, should not have happened. Life have to go on, even if he is not with us anymore, this is a film that is a great tribute to this legend. I would not say that this is my favourite film by director Clint Eastwood, i would say Unforgiven and Mystic River is up there in the top. This is still a very well made film by this legendary director, who knows how to tell powerful stories. American Sniper is definetely worth a watch, but i do wonder why it was nominated for so many Oscars this year at the Academy Awards ? Nightcrawler should have had all those nominations instead, honestly.

Rating: DDD