A Big Chuck Movie Review: “American Sniper”

There is no question that this is a great movie.  In fact it has now surpassed "Saving Private Ryan" as the most profitable war movie ever made.  The movie tells the story of Chris Kyle, the most prolific and successful sniper the American military has ever produced.  The battle scenes in Iraq, eerily reminiscent of "Black Hawk Down," are heart pounding and not for the squeamish.  We see our American military decked out in body armor, Kevlar vests, night vision goggles, hand held computers and all the other accessories of the most modern military on Planet Earth.  And once again our combat enemy is covered in veils, running with sandals on, hiding in holes and using old Russian made rifles.  Sound familiar?

The greatest part of this movie, despite the remarkable telling of this young man's sacrifice in combat, is witnessing the sacrifice he also made at home, personally and with his family.  The harrowing display of PTDS that he goes through is as frightening as anything he has faced on the battlefield.  If you saw Kyle's reaction in the scene where the family dog is playing a little too aggressively with a child at a party you will know what I mean. This is where the movie really scores.  Thousands of our troops have come home to pick up another battle, one where their new enemy is bad dreams, a disintegrating psyche and a burdensome lack of self-confidence.  Your heart really has to go out to this warrior.

I couldn't help but think of other war movies that also illuminated the problems our soldiers face after they leave the battlefield.  "Coming Home (1978)," starring Jon Voight immediately comes to mind.  Voight won an Oscar for his searing portrayal of a PTDS victim struggling to keep it together.  Another movie which explores the "life after battle" aspect is "The Deer Hunter" (also 1978) which explores the dark mirror veteran, Christopher Walken, must look into in confronting his haunting memories of the Vietnam War.  Walken also won an Oscar for his portrayal.  And to go back even further, "The Best Years of Our Lives (1946") in which actor Harold Russell essays the torment of a veteran who comes home facing an unknown future with his own mounting self-doubts and with the loss of both hands.  Russell, a double amputee in real life, also walked away with the Oscar that year.

There is absolutely no reason why Bradley Cooper shouldn't join these performers who so eloquently portrayed the dark side of life after war.  Cooper is nothing less than mesmerizing in every scene he is in and gets my vote for Best Actor Oscar this year.

"American Sniper" is one of those rare films that is entertaining and important.  It has a story to tell and under the helm of 84-year old Clint Eastwood, it is told with grit, sensitivity and directness.

This is an unforgettable movie.  As General William T. Sherman once said, "War is hell." Hate the war.  Love the soldiers.  Forever.

I give "American Sniper" four meatballs, my highest honor.