By Teri Bayus
I didn’t know the story behind Chris Kyle (the most lethal sniper in US history) until that final one liner played across the screen following the last frame of the movie “American Sniper.”
Bradley Cooper plays Kyle and I was struck by just how good this actor is getting. The three-time, three-years running Oscar nominee is now part of an ensemble of 10 actors to ever have achieved such adoration.
American Sniper is not just another war movie. Instead, it delves into a deeper and more sensitive core of how war challenges and changes those in the scorching focus of it and the ripple effects on the families left behind.
Kyle’s wife is played by Elise Robertson and her line, “You’re my husband, you’re the father of my children. Even when you’re here, you’re not here. I see you, I feel you, but you’re not here,” sums up what it must be like to be married to a man that has witnessed and propagated such horrific actions.
We feel for his soul and somehow know that he will never be able to wrap his head around what he has done for his country.
From the moment Kyle is deployed to Iraq, the intensity in the film never lets up. Without a doubt, this is the most intense film I have ever seen. I thought good action movies kept me at the edge of my seat, but American Sniper is the true definition of an edge-of-your-seat film.
At mid point, I almost had to stand up and take a deep breath because my heart was beating so fast. I could tell everyone else in the audience felt the same way. With Clint Eastwood’s best directing since Gran Torino, career best performance from Cooper, and the most powerful scriptwriting I have seen, American Sniper excels in nearly every category.
I know there is a bunch of controversy swirling around American Sniper. This movie is about a soldier’s life. Soldiers do not have time to make moral judgments nor to be afraid. They are trained to make hard decisions so we can keep our spoiled way of life.
To use this movie as any other reason but to celebrate the men who keep us safe is heresy. This is the first time a full theater was dead silent at the end. I don’t think anyone had let out a breath over the last 10 minutes.
Directed by Eastwood in the highest sacrament of his genius, this is his 34th feature film as director. At 84-years old, the man should be an inspiration to geriatrics the world over and the rest of us who hope to live that long.
Cooper did a great job in becoming Chris Kyle. There were moments of good action, serious drama, and couple of laughs for good measure. There was a good balance between “action” in Iraq and life at home, showing the family drama and personal struggles while trying to settle back in to normal life.
This is a movie not for the faint of heart. But I feel that it is important that everyone with an opinion on war who hasn’t been to war, needs to see it.
Teri Bayus can be reached at: . Follow her writing and ramblings at: www.teribayus.com. Teri is also the host of “Taste Buds,” a moving picture rendition of her reviews shown on Charter Cable Channel 10. Dinner and a Movie is a regular feature of Tolosa Press.
