I've been trying to summon up my experience watching this movie. It's not the best war movie I've ever seen but it is one of the better war films I've seen in a long time. I remember sitting on the couch when the final frame had ended and just watching most of the credits roll by, as I contemplated on what I'd just seen. This isn't so much a war movie as a movie about the effects of war on a person and on a family - that is the real message of this movie, along with giving a glimpse into the life of Chris Kyle. I've since gone out and read his autobiography and another book about SEAL Team Six that killed Bin Laden. Make no mistake this movie is just a glimpse but it is a great glimpse of a man who really loved his country, loved his job, and loved his family. There are many added scenes or added characters in this movie for the sake of it being in done in Hollywood but none of them take away from the message of the movie or from Chris Kyle's life.
Bradley Cooper is completely transformed physically into Chris Kyle and it's some of the best acting of his career. His presence is dominating in his movie from a physical and emotional standpoint. He breathes life into Chris Kyle as many scenes he has to sell the internal struggle of the character with nothing but his facial expressions - no voice over narration helping him at all. At times it is like a silent movie in this regard and Cooper rises to challenge in remarkable ways.
Eastwood does what he always does when he gets behind a camera - directs with an maturity not found in to many directors now-a-days. For a man his age he still continues to make some really good movies and stages these action scene with such great communication. There was never any doubt or confusion from me as to what was going on in those scenes - old school directing will always be better than then new style of hand-held direction.
The only real criticism I'll give at this film is that I wish they had included 2 - 3 more scenes of dialogue with him and his wife. This would have strengthened their relationship more, thus reinforcing his comments of love for her and wanting to get back home. It would also strengthened her as a character to where she didn't as many crying or shocked looking scenes. I think this would have made the movie even better and more powerful. Seeing her as more than just a standard female character and their relationship as real would have really help to sell the war scenes and heartache she goes through on those the phone conversations between him and her.
After reading his autobiography I personally think a TV show based on his four tours would be a gripping watch.
Good movie that deserved all the praise it got but didn't deserve any of the harsh political comments tossed its way.
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