American Sniper is based on
Kyle’s own memoir so it gets right under the skin of this seemingly simplistic
man. He’s a Texan cowboy told by his father to be a sheepdog rather than a wolf
or a sheep. He joins the marines because he sees American embassies being
attacked on TV. He shoots to kill with barely a thought for the people, their
stories, their circumstances or their motivations in the foreign land he ends
up in. He is addicted to saving his fellow soldiers, even if that means
sacrificing countless days away from his wife and young children.
Bradley Cooper is sensational
as Kyle, while Sienna Miller offers memorable support as his suffering wife.
It’s a tragic true story with Clint Eastwood keeping things incredibly tense
both back home and in the rubble of Iraq. Whether you will feel that Kyle
turned out to be a wolf preying on the weak or a sheepdog who protected those
in need will be a matter of your personal politics but his motivations,
particularly after the war, appear admirable, even if the whole reason for the
war remains dubious. The final heart-breaking shots of real footage in the film
will undoubtedly unite most in a sense of grief and loss.
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