Well, this film is certainly doing some bumper business at the U.S.
box office. In some ways, I can see why, but really, I don't think it is
because of the film being great - because it is not.
I like Eastwood as a director - he's made some pretty damn good
movies. This one, although it is good, seems to be lacking a bit. The
action is fine, with some scenes being quite intense, but the emotional
hit I was expecting wasn't there. It is certainly a film that is trying
to convey the PTSD that Chris Kyle was working his way through, but I
feel as though it did it at a surface level. Whenever the opportunity to
explore it came up, we're going back to war. It wasn't until the end
where I felt the emotional side really start to resonate.
The film itself is well acted by Cooper. I don't know if it is Oscar
worthy good, but, he's definitely doing some of his best work here.
Sienna Miller as his wife probably didn't have much to work with. I
didn't feel anything special from her - solid, but nothing outstanding.
The rest of the cast are all merely support roles, with no one in
particular being a standout - this is Cooper's show.
In the end, it felt similar to The Hurt Locker in some ways, although
I think that movie is better overall. This one is a solid film, with a
mostly quality production (you may spot the reason for me saying
mostly). The story is occasionally very gung-ho, but does try to balance
that out with the horror of war for the soldiers involved (even if
mostly for the American soldier aspect). Chris Kyle's story is a very
interesting one, but the film was perhaps a bit too cold for me to
really get engaged with.
Rating:
3 out of 5.
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