‘American Sniper’: a powerful look at the price soldiers pay

Posted on January 23, 2015

By MARK VIOLA

When going to the theater, it’s always interesting to see how an audience reacts when a movie ends. Sometimes you get applause. Sometimes you get boos. Sometimes you simple get a low rumble as dozens of people get up and leave. By far, the rarest response is utter silence. That only happens when a movie either leaves an audience emotionally gutted or simply in awe of the story they just witnessed.

That was the response that greeted the end of “American Sniper” when I saw it last weekend. The film is directed by Clint Eastwood (“Gran Torino,” “Flags of Our Fathers”) and stars Bradley Cooper (“American Hustle”) as real life Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. I take the silence as a huge compliment from the audience to the film. And a deserved one.

“American Sniper” is a powerful character study of a man sent to foreign lands to protect his fellow soldiers, a mission that leaves him ill-prepared to return to the peaceful society he served. Featuring one of the best performances of 2014 and easily Eastwood’s best directed film in years, this is an intense and sometimes brutal look at a modern war and the toll it takes on the soldiers fighting it.

The film is rated R for strong and disturbing war violence, and language throughout including some sexual references.

(This is a shortened version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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