Let me introduce you to Chris Kyle, the man whose life is brought to life in Clint Eastwoods newest feature American Sniper. Here was a man who, as a soldier, did so much in his life, which interestingly contrasts with this film that winds up doing very little of actual worth.
One thing that’s certainly of worth in the film is Bradley Cooper, whose portrayal of Chris Kyle is quite compelling. Kyle goes into wartime situation ready to do anything, while retaining a humble and amiable personality. Cooper manages to balance that kind of personality with Kyle’s gradually changing personality back home, as the toll of war begins to become more and more evident as he grows more distant from his loved ones.

A sequence depicting the apex of the wars effects on Kyle at his kids birthday party is perhaps the films best moment, namely because of how well Cooper makes this new side of Kyle feel natural and uncontrived. Unfortunately, he’s the only character in the film to get any kind of depth, as the rest of the cast sort of falls to the wayside. Many characters don’t have any kind of notable presence, so when they’re trotted out for some emotional moment with Kyle, any sort of pathos the film aims for becomes nonexistent. sporadically

Perhaps the worst victim of the film is Kyle’s wife, Taya. She’s played by Sienna Miller, and the it’s pretty clear the movie has no idea what the hell to do with her. Her romance with Chris is terribly written, with Miller and Cooper having a shocking lack of chemistry that makes their abrupt marriage in the film feel even more out of place than it already is. There’s very little personality to Taya, with the story treating her only as a source of nagging or a sex object (one of the movies most bizarre editing moments is where a scene just cuts to Chris Kyle sitting on a couch, with Taya entering the room in her underwear). Only a scene with her on the phone with Chris in the midst of combat does the film get anything notable from her wasted character.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the film that I found lacking was the directing, which isn’t bad per se, but does feel underwhelming. You know that incredible sequence in the teaser where Kyle, in a sniper position, see’s a mom hand her kid a deadly weapon? Yeah, it’s totally undermined in the film because there’s this score that just overwhelms the tension of the moment. Another pivotal moment towards the end is similarly ruined by enough slow-motion to make Peter Jackson say “Chill out bro”.

These moments pop up constantly in the film, making Clint Eastwoods direction of the film weirdly insecure, as if he’s worried the audience won’t respond to the film unless all subtlety is removed. But a great performance from Bradley Cooper and some scenes that are actually well executed prove how great American Sniper could have been. Alas, the film we have is a messy one that’s distractedly lacking in pivotal areas, especially in the ending (I’m not talking about the moving end credits), which is almost hilariously bad in how over-the-top it is.