American Sniper 10/10
I've watched Lone Survivor and compared it's intensity and realism to Black Hawk Down, both outstanding films. However American Sniper is something different, a mixture of the sensitivity of a charismatic man and his cold blooded other side that made him the most lethal sniper in US history.
Bradley Cooper shows acting depth that we suspected was there but he really steps it up in this film. He has obviously worked hard to capture the essence of the man he portrays and nails the key emotional scenes without the need for words.
Clint Eastwood continues his magic touch as a Director and surely can't be far off being better remembered as a Director than an actor.
The absolute star of the movie is Sienna Miller who's performance as Kyles wife is simply outstanding. She's beleivable in every scene, from young ballsy girl in a bar through to supporting military wife and the breakdowns she suffers while her husbands in Iraq.
The scenes in Iraq are superbly filmed and really make you beleive that you're watching the real events as they unfold. No over dramatisation or the normal USA type glorification of events, just nerve tingling moments of suspense and frighteningly intense battles.
Having not read the book or done any research on the story, the end of the movie caught me out big style!
If the measure of a movie is how long it lingers in the mind and has you thinking on the events depicted in it then American Sniper is right up there with the best I've seen.
