"American Sniper" is a 2014 film, directed by the famous Clint Eastwood.
"American Sniper" is a war film that focuses on the life of Chris Kyle, a sniper famous for his tenure as a soldier in Iraq. The film documents Kyle's life as a soldier, including the traumatic events that take place even after his service is done. A large part of the film is centered upon the family that Kyle creates with his wife, as well as how his efforts in the military have changed him. "American Sniper" is a well-made film, but it is also manages to be forgettable, at the same time.
One redeeming quality that the film has is its cinematography. "American Sniper" is clearly the work of an accomplished director, as it is filmed in a way that is extremely professional and well-done. Everything in the film is seen clearly, and the film's cinematography has a clean, polished look to it that makes the events of "American Sniper" really stand out. The cinematography in "American Sniper" presents itself in a straightforward, realistic way that accentuates what is going on in certain scenes. The film has a slick, high-budget look to it, and it brings out the action in "American Sniper" in a neat, but realistic and fitting style.
The acting in "American Sniper" is acceptable, too. Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle in the film, and his performance is convincing for several reasons. Frankly, Bradley Cooper is hard to recognize initially, due to having a bigger, more muscular figure that looks similar to the real life Chris Kyle. Cooper's performance sells his look even more, as he portrays Chris Kyle as a hard-working, dedicated Texan who wants to serve his country. Cooper manages to show how Kyle is affected by his service by showing emotions such as anger, frustration, and determination, and he is supported by a reliable cast of actors. Sienna Miller does well in showing the anguish and worries of Kyle's wife, particularly when she says to her husband that she wants him "to be human again" when he's home. The soldiers are believable in their roles, too. As a whole, the acting is solid and convincing all-around, and the actors do a good job of making their characters come alive.
However, one flaw in "American Sniper" is the mediocrity that surrounds everything in the film. "American Sniper" does everything in a professional and structured manner, and it's certainly a well-made film. However, everything in the film has a feeling of dullness to it. The film is humdrum and outright lazy in how it portrays its characters and settings. For example, Kyle's fellow soldiers seem like generic, run of the mill soldiers that could be killed off without significantly affecting the story in any way. Lines such as "Baby?" and "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" are meant to be emotional and tear-jerking, but the tone that they have in the film did not really impress me as a viewer in any sort of way. The antagonists of the film are unmemorable villains that lack any sort of motivation for challenging the soldiers, and they are just as forgettable as everyone else in the film. The cinematography is fine, but un-adventurous, and it doesn't perform any impressive feats. The cinematography lacks truly interesting shots that dazzle the viewer, and it presents Chris Kyle's struggles with a sense of blandness.
The conflicts in the film have problems, too. "American Sniper" is meant to be a serious and emotionally stirring film about war and its effects on man, but it does not develop its conflicts well enough. "American Sniper" depicts numerous struggles in a one-dimensional demeanor, without going any further. Various dilemmas in the film are generic, lack layers, and are presented in an empty and rather cliched way. An example of this are the fights between Kyle and his wife over his reaction to the war. The film tries to make the characters sympathetic, while also portraying just how damaging war can be to one's psyche. However, the problem is that the film could have captivated these difficult times in a more effective way.
In conclusion, "American Sniper" is not a bad film, but it's not outstanding, either. The cinematography is good, the acting is good, and it is clear that the film is a respectable work that demands your attention. However, the film could have been more developed; the film's characters are typical archetypes that fail to make any sort of impact on the viewer, and Kyle's struggles are clinical, boring and lacking in excitement and genuine emotional involvement. "American Sniper" is a professional, but unrelentingly average film. "American Sniper" wallows in mediocrity, and its luster is lost over time.
