When it comes to true story films, there are times where film-makers try to add more or less into what really happened in the event being told. In this case, Clint Eastwood's American Sniper has already contracted not only positive acclaim but a stir of negativity and controversy that surrounds the way Kyle was really like in life. Some say he had lost his mind in the war for peace while others say he was caught up in the emotional aftermath after service but Eastwood has stated that his film is "the biggest anti-war statement any film can make," and said that "the fact of what war does to the family and the people who have to go back into civilian life like Chris Kyle did"
What AS tells is the true life figure Chris Kyle who served as the American military's 'lethal sniper' who has made more kills in his duty of tours during the Iraq war period after 9/11. It chronicles how Chris became a true American to protect his homeland and the aftermath of serving his tours when he came home to his small growing family, leading up to the final hours of his life.
Pros:
+ Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Chris Kyle is indeed a new height for his career, he gives a performance that can be described as gripping, tense and at times
+ The action sequences are all done well, but at times it can be tense, violent and confronting for some.
+ The emotional connection between the main character and his family, that the final scene that will either break you or make you undecided.
Cons:
- The controversy that surrounds it, it can make the film an exaggerated lie or truth to what Kyle was like in reality but again it is showing what war can do on people on the front-line and home.
OVERALL: Despite the controversy it has gained by writers , the film is indeed a strong acting showcase for Cooper while leaving audiences both open and more aware of the effects of war on human kind. Go in with an open mind and see for yourself for what you would think that made Chris Kyle a 'lethal sniper' for this country. If you had liked The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty and Machine Gun Preacher (not a war film but somewhat similar to Kyle's story) you will enjoy this.
