Films/DVD Asylum

American Sniper, after 2 failed tries, finally got to see it

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Sold out once, late for another. Today's showing, at 11:30 was all but sold out. It's only showing here at 1 theater on 2 screens in limited release so that explains the huge crowds.

This was a good, even better than good, effort that I think most here will like. It's not in B&W with subtitles so there's that for the pros:)

Clintwood did a fine job of capturing what it must have been like in Iraq, not only for snipers on overwatch, but for the fighting soldier on the ground. Battle scenes were intense. Having not read the book in over a year I can't recall if our hero, Chris Kyle, participated in them to the extent portrayed in the movie but I'll give Eastwood a break. Certainly battles such as those depicted occurred in Fallujah & Rammadi. If our hero was interjected into them for sake of the story, so be it.
His legacy is and will always be remembered as our most deadly sniper.

Bradley Cooper does an Oscar Nomination worthy job of portraying Kyle. Never did you see Cooper the actor, one saw Kyle the soldier. This was especially impressive in the beginning, when Kyle had no beard, sunglasses, and wasn't geared up, one (at least me) saw Kyle and not Cooper. It seemed too much time was spent on the home front but that was probably necessary to lend more context at the conclusion. Sienna Miller, who's taken criticism for her performance, seemed fine to me.

For those who don't know the ending all I'll say was Eastwood portrayed it well, somber and incredibly moving, without resorting to over the top dramatics that were there for the taking. 2+ hours, the time flew by and dialog easily discernible. No Hans Zimmer score! Keep a tissue handy and stay for the end after the "message" is posted.

Opens Friday in wide release, a solid *** out of ****.

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Edits: 01/09/15

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