AMERICAN SNIPER

Really don't want to review this one because of how political this film has become. I know it's not impossible to talk about AMERICAN SNIPER without bringing up politics, so I'm going to give it a shot. To help move this along I'll get the politics out of the way right off the bat. I supported the war, I support our troops, and any form of terrorism should be eradicated from this world.

I am overjoyed at how well AMERICAN SNIPER is performing at the box office. Before you get mad, it's not for the reasons you're probably thinking. This time of year is a ghost town for movie theaters across the nation. Hollywood and your local multiplex needed this. Heck. Clint Eastwood needed this! I think it's now officially become his highest grossing picture or something like that?

Sadly AMERICAN SNIPER doesn't live up to the hype. I was a big fan of GRAN TORINO but Eastwood's last great film was probably MYSTIC RIVER. Which is currently streaming on Netflix, so I should give it a re-watch to see if I still feel the same way about it as I did roughly 10 years ago.

As of late Eastwood films have felt very point and shoot movies. And his stories get a big budget just because of his name. Where did the director of UNFORGIVEN go? Maybe Quentin Tarantino was correct in saying that directing is a young man's game? But look at Martin Scorsese and THE WOLF OF WALL STREET? That my friends is an amazing picture!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that AMERICAN SNIPER felt like it could have been directed by anybody. Would it be doing the business that it is at the box office if Clint's name wasn't attached? It's possible, but I don't think so.

Unless you've been living in a cave, you all know what AMERICAN SNIPER is about. Bradley Cooper plays Navy Seal sniper Chris Kyle, who was a war hero saving countless lives on the battlefield during the Iraq war. At home between tours Chris finds it hard to leave the war behind. After 4 tours and suffering from PTSD, he finds help in helping others with the terrible disorder.

Once my patriotism wore off after a couple days from seeing the film, I found myself nitpicking the war movie cliches that I am will to put money on saying they didn't happen. Best example being, the solider who just got engaged and gets shot in the face immediately after telling his fellow Seals. Now I do realize I am watching a dramatic interpretation of the source material and the film is more about what war does to a man. But these war movie cliches sometimes took me out of the movie. Sorry if that sounds heartless.

I will go ahead and recommend AMERICAN SNIPER for two reasons. Bradley Cooper does an amazing job! Going in I didn't think he'd be able to pull it off, but his portrayal of a solider suffering from PTSD moved me. The second reason is two words, fake baby.