Chris Kyle wanted to be a cowboy living out in Texas when one night everything changed when he realised he wanted to protect his country. Signing up to being a Navy SEAL he went on to become a legend.
After weeks or maybe even months of seeing the trailer for American Sniper which can only be related to a teaser. It really was a fantastic trailer which made you want to come and watch the film, to find out if he took that shot. Great way to promote a film, and even better that it actually started with that scene. But we don’t get to find out straight away, the suspense was very good building that up even more as we started to learn a little about the man about to pull the trigger and his past.
I thought the story was told in an incredible way, wouldn’t expect anything less really with Clint Eastwood in the directors chair. The way it built him up and gave us a good understanding of his background really helped to explain his motivation and determination to do things. Something which would really help him to make it as a SEAL. A natural shooter as his father told him after his first kill hunting in the woods.
It is an incredibly emotional journey as we see him quickly become a hero amongst the troops with his skills of shooting from up above and keeping a watch over the troops on the ground. But his determination to do even more really did push it to the limits. He wasn’t just going to watch all of the time, he wanted to be even more involved in it all.
He completed four tours all together and we can see how he was becoming more and more detached with life when returning home after each tour. He seemed to be very addictive and did not communicate very well with his wife and young children after his stints away. It was quite heartbreaking to watch at times, especially when his wife had to listen to gun shots and fire over the phone a couple of times, can’t really think of much worse to listen to than that.
Bradley Cooper really does put in a fantastic performance and certainly bulked up for the role. We felt sorry for him but could also understand his reasons for wanting to keep going back, he wanted to keep saving more men and felt that it was his duty to protect everyone back at home.
Some of the scenes really were touching and hit a core. I had no idea of the outcome of the story so was devastated at the very end. I won’t spoil that incase you don’t know the story either, I honestly just sank and then the no music over the credits after video footage and photos was really hard-hitting. Everyone just sat still at the screening I was at.
There really are some good films based around war and this one is certainly one of them as well. I think with it being a very recent story makes it even harder to watch as well. Chris Kyle became a legend for how many enemies he killed and how many of his own troops he managed to save. Something which much inspire the people who are out on tour.
Eastwood and Cooper along with the rest of the cast have put together a very solid film telling the story of a hero.
