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American Sniper backdrop
16 January 2015English134 min

American Sniper

5.712 reviews
CriticsMixed

Bayesian avg · 12 critic reviews

7.5+ Exceptional · 6.5 Recommended · 5.0 Mixed

7.03 ratings
Users

User Score · avg of 3 ratings

8.0+ Exceptional · 7.0 Recommended · 5.5 Mixed

Clint Eastwood DirectorJason Dean Hall ScreenplayTom Stern Cinematography

U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname "Legend." However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. He is also facing a different kind of battle on the home front: striving to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world.

Critic Consensus

American Sniper receives a mixed-to-moderately positive reception, with critics largely agreeing that Bradley Cooper's central performance is the film's strongest asset. Eastwood's direction is credited by some for generating tension and drama, though several critics feel the film falls short of the prestige war drama it aspires to be. A recurring criticism is the film's one-sided, politically conservative portrayal of the war in Iraq, with multiple reviewers noting it sidesteps the moral and political complexities of Kyle's story. Some critics also find fault with its treatment of its subject as an uncomplicated hero, with the local population reduced to stereotypes and broader societal questions left unexamined.

12 reviews · 6 positive · 3 mixed

Praised: Bradley Cooper's central performanceCriticised: one-sided portrayal of war

AI-generated summary of 12 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (12)

Rajeev MasandTop Critic· IBNLive
7.0
"American Sniper is blunt, uncomfortable, and thought-provoking. At 84, Eastwood can still play a young man's game. Don't miss this film."
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Shalini LangerTop Critic· Indian Express
7.0
"The film, based on a book co-written by Kyle himself, will make you flinch at both the relentless fighting and the unilateral view the Americans in its midst have of it."
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Mihir FadnavisTop Critic· Mid Day
4.0
"Kyle is presented as an uber hero on the run from an uber (also sniper) villain, and it turns into a standard issue thriller, in fact a lesser version of 'The Green Zone', rather than the epic biopic you expect it to be. And if you're looking for some gunplay action in a war thriller, 'American Sniper' doesn't even achieve anything substantial on that front."
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Rohit Khilnani· India Today
8.0
"Eastwood creates enough drama and tension, which makes American Sniper a terrific film! Clint Eastwood is at his best so American Sniper shouldn't be missed."
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Renuka Vyavahare· Times Of India
7.0
"American Sniper is hard-hitting, no doubt, and predominantly a performance-oriented film, where Cooper shines. It isn't the Clint Eastwood classic you expect it to be, though."
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Sachin Chatte· The Navhind Times
6.0
"There is a fair bit of on field action, which primarily portrays the soldiers in good light and most of the local residents are either double crossing agents or bad guys. Perhaps that is what Kyle came across during his encounters. Much like what we saw in The Hurt Locker, being in the middle of the action almost becomes an obsession. While it celebrates the heroics of a soldier on the duty, it also laments about war and its final outcome."
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Soumya Srivastava· Hindustan Times
6.0
"American Sniper fails to effectively answer the questions it raises and truth be told, Bradley Cooper's performance was the only thing that 'hit the mark'."
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Suhani Singh· India Today
4.0
"American Sniper's soul is Bradley Cooper...For all the bravado of Kyle, American Sniper lacks courage to realistically see the perils of war."
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Navin Noronha· BookMyShow
4.0
"Watch the film for an earnest performance by Bradley Cooper. The actor is in top form as Chris Kyle and offers a lot of depth. It has enough edge-of-the-seat moments, coupled with a stellar soundtrack and POV shots. But honestly, this film would have been better off as a documentary rather than a feature-length film where we are exposed to civilians being butchered and murder being glorified."
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Paloma Sharma· Rediff
4.0
"Despite being intrinsically American, the film might actually appeal to a certain section of the political spectrum, even in India. However, it could have been infinitely better. Not quite as mindlessly gory as Lone Survivor, not quite as brutal and sensitive as Fury, American Sniper is a middle ground that is as masala as a war biopic can get."
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Anuj Kumar· The Hindu
"Based on Kyle's autobiography, much like Hurt Locker, Eastwood's drama plays to the conservative gallery sidestepping the politics of war. Almost forgetting that Kyle died not on the war front but at a Texas shooting range. It is silent on the effect of his celebrity status on the society around him."
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Deepanjana Pal· Firstpost
"...it's a gripping film, but an uncomfortable one. Watch it for Cooper's powerful acting performance and liberals, don't beat yourself up if it takes till the end for you to realize Eastwood conned you into caring for a messed-up man with a bloodlust."
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Cast & Crew

Details

Release Date
16 January 2015
Runtime
134 min
Language
English

User Ratings & Reviews

Users7.03 ratings

3 ratings from the community

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