American Sniper

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.

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.

American Sniper's soul is Bradley Cooper...For all the bravado of Kyle, American Sniper lacks courage to realistically see the perils of war.

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.

...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.

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.