American Sniper

Cooper aims high; he wants recognition and Oscars. And he obviously tempted Clint Eastwood into this with a high fee. Otherwise, Clint wouldn’t go for it, as the script doesn’t offer much space for his narrative talent (the emotional scenes with the wife could have been done by anyone). The simplicity and straightforwardness of the film, which does not bring anything new under the helmet and relies solely on the potential of the real Chris Kyle’s fate, will delight on one hand (the film engages viewers without imposing higher demands on them), but due to the use of all sorts of clichés and the absence of its own personality (which the identically construed but less oversimplified The Hurt Locker did have), it is not entitled to any Oscars. Unless the Academy intends to openly admit that it is more about politics than movies. The key action scene (Butcher + drill + boy) has masterful editing. But the second half of the movie needs to be shortened. (02/17/2015)

A brutal, action-packed, powerful, emotional, properly American patriotic and simply beautifully retold story of a legendary sniper in an actual war. The film is very action packed, there is frequent gunfire, the pacing is decent, the dialogue is classy, the cinematography is slick, Bradley Cooper is perfect, Mustafa the sneaky Arab sniper and Cooper’s biggest rival is also brilliant, he gives a flashback to Enemy at the Gates. Perhaps the only representative of this year's Oscars that really deserves it. I liked Lone Survivor a bit more, but this is also a very solid and engaging affair 80% (01/21/2015)

I was expecting the film to be about something else, mainly because I didn't want to see anything about it beforehand. It intrigued me how it turned out to be perhaps even surprising in the end, but on the other hand, Clint can't be faulted for mostly avoiding pathos - except for the shots of the real people that follow before the credits and during them. Otherwise, it's a well-directed film, where especially the war scenes are incredible. (01/20/2015)

A pleasantly unbiased, melancholic view of a man who was no great thinker, but who meant well. American Sniper does not glorify Chris Kyle, but rather makes him a sad victim of a cruel war and his own noble need to help others. I honestly admit that I was afraid that this would be the second Machine Gun Preacher, from which I was very sick the other day, but fortunately my fears were misplaced. Clint Eastwood also managed to keep most of the dangerous clichés lurking around the corner, and filmed the story with his usual coolly dispassionate naturalism. My only regret is that the film followed a template that I have seen many times before and that it is not a bit more exceptional in its treatment. But I didn't expect the ending (because I knew nothing about the real fate of the main character) and it really touched me. (05/29/2016)

Eastwood's precise shot, which is likely to be mistaken for pathos when defending the American way of thinking, stands out above all. This is due to the fact that, despite a significant part of the runtime being spent on the battlefield, it manages to retain a civilian atmosphere, rather giving Kyle's extraordinary "skill" lip service because, at his core, the protagonist remains that pure American redneck who, in Cooper's excellent, paunchy Texan delivery, blathers on about defending the country, and yet you know he means it with unapologetic sincerity; its length and the empty brothers storyline are the only things that the film can be faulted for. Even J. Edgar wanted to look like this. (01/18/2015)