‘American Sniper’ (Blu-ray) Review

If you’re one of the many out there that are against Clint Eastwood‘s American Sniper‘s release, you’ll soon learn that you’re opinion towards it will not change easily with it’s release to Blu-ray and DVD. The politics of war films are inherently messy and with the rise of opposition to U.S. military and government operations, the topic has become more subject to criticism especially among cinephile crowds who don’t want their movies to be just a jingoistic affair. But Warner Bros. and all that had a hand in its production didn’t make this for the naysayers, they made it for sniper Chris Kyle and his family as well as all that support the troops over seas, and that is only amplified in the special features attached to the Blu-ray release but it’s not completely without insight.

Looking at the special features on the back, it seems like there’s little else on the disc but the film and that’s partially true. To get much out of either special feature between “One Soldier’s Story: The Journey of American Sniper” and “The Making of American Sniper” you have to watch both in their entirety which lasts over an hour. If you watch only one of them, though, watch the latter, which goes into a little more detail of the production and the goals of all associated with the film. “One Soldier’s Story” is more or less an extended TV featurette, highlighting almost every positive review and heaping on the praise for the film’s existence. Between the two, this one was made for the fervent supports to give one more “Hooah” and fist-pump, but it’s also the bane of the film’s existence for the film’s opposition that disagree with Kyle’s actions and stereotypical American morals.

[amz asin=”B00RGZ915C” size=”small”]Between the praising snippets of reviews and interviews with the crew, including screenwriter Jason Hall, are clips displaying the intent of the production; none of which do the film any favors to its public image. Among numerous clips pulled is one in which Kyle’s dad tells him he will be a great hunter some day. That scene in isolation puts into perspective that, though Kyle was protecting his country and doing his born duty, his record setting kills in the Navy SEALs was a hunting trip. That’s just one of many scenes that can be criticized, but that’s just taking all of the film at face value.

Granted, the two features don’t dig much more past the surface as to pay tribute to Kyle’s actions as well as the self-viewed heroic production of the film. Of course, the distributors aren’t going to be highlighting the problems with American Sniper, that’s for the audience to decide, but it seems like a little too much. We can only hear so much how great a performance Bradley Cooper‘s performance was and how Eastwood was the perfect director. But occasionally, the interviews will go beyond self-praise and the basic story line of a man protecting the country and family he clearly loved.

The most interesting part of the film, saving it from being an utter disgrace, is the duality of Kyle’s life: his life overseas as a SEAL and as a family man trying to do what’s best for all involved. It becomes a character study brought to life by Cooper’s fantastic performance that make it more than just another war film. Cooper mentions in an interview in the “Making of” feature that he hadn’t seen a film like this since those he was influenced by in the 80s, and I have to say Born on the Fourth of July has some clear influence (and more recently, The Hurt Locker). That same feature also has some good discussion points about how, for those deployed, it’s not just themselves but their families that are in the trenches or looking through the scope.

If you’re struggling to see how this was nominated for six Academy Awards, I recommend checking out that feature as it offers a lot more to discuss, not so say I agree with all the nominations but I have some more respect for it now. Chances are if you went in watching the picture for the first time expecting the worst, you probably couldn’t see much of the good and there is plenty of good. Checking out the “Making of” feature before watching the movie again helped me look a little deeper into it and, if nothing else, the Blu-ray transfer really shows off the technical work put into this as well, especially Tom Stern‘s vivid cinematography and the sound design. But no matter how crisp the picture and sound is, that fake baby will never look real.

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