American Sniper

Name: American Sniper
Genre: Action, Biography, Drama, War
Released: December 25, 2014
Duration: 132 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller

2014

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 48 Critics

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 1001 Ratings

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6.6

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6.6	Your Score
6.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 1001 Ratings

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American Sniper

Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: December 25, 2014

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller

Summary: 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 makingU.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. Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the SEAL creed to “leave no man behind.” But upon returning to his wife, Taya Renae Kyle (Sienna Miller), and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind. [Warner Bros.]… Expand

Director: Clint Eastwood

Genre(s): Action, Biography, Drama, War

Rating: R

Runtime: 132 min

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Awards & Rankings

16	#16 Most Discussed Movie of 2014
9	#9 Most Shared Movie of 2014

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Time - Richard Corliss

Jan 3, 2015

It shows Eastwood, at 84, in his finest directorial effort since the 2008 "Gran Torino," while painting on a much broader canvas. Utterly in command of his epic material, he films the Iraqi action in terse, tense panoramas with little cinematic editorializing, as if he were an old Greek or Hebrew God who is never surprised at man’s ability to kill his fellow men, or to find reasons to do so. Directing 34 films over 44 years, Eastwood has honed his craft to its essentials: make it seem as if the story is telling itself. Read full review

Boston Globe - Ty Burr

Jan 15, 2015

American Sniper may be the hardest, truest movie ever made about the experience of men in war. Why? Because there’s no glory in it. Read full review

New Orleans Times-Picayune - Mike Scott

Jan 16, 2015

What we're left with is something sobering but searing, muscular but compassionate. Read full review

Movie Nation - Roger Moore

Dec 22, 2014

Cooper, to his credit, rarely flinches, never chest-thumps and never loses his cool, even when Kyle is starting to lose his. It’s a masterful interpretation of a man with a lot more on his mind and blood on his hands than he was ever inclined to let on. And it’s a performance worthy of Eastwood himself — 50 years ago. Read full review

Washington Post - Michael O'Sullivan

Jan 15, 2015

The battle scenes are alternately tense and thrilling, especially during one climactic sequence. Read full review

The Telegraph - Robbie Collin

Jan 14, 2015

Eastwood doesn’t care about the legend. Instead, he shows us Kyle much as he saw his targets: with that strange combination of extreme intimacy and extreme remove that a long-range sight confers. Read full review

TheWrap - Inkoo Kang

Nov 12, 2014

Director Clint Eastwood‘s focus on Kyle is so tight that no other character, including wife Taya (Sienna Miller), comes through as a person, and the scope so narrow that the film engages only superficially with the many moral issues surrounding the Iraq War. Read full review

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User Reviews

mukushle

Dec 30, 2014

One of the major tenets of Clint Eastwood's ebullient career is his commitment to surprising us. He continually pursued unexpected projects - from female boxing to the Japanese wartime point of view. If you were to guess who was going to direct The Bridges of Madison County (1995) or JerseyOne of the major tenets of Clint Eastwood's ebullient career is his commitment to surprising us. He continually pursued unexpected projects - from female boxing to the Japanese wartime point of view. If you were to guess who was going to direct The Bridges of Madison County (1995) or Jersey Boys (2014), Eastwood would be near the bottom of the list.

In 2014 he accomplished one of his best surprises. After years in which he seemed to have lost his touch and even his spirit, Eastwood came roaring back.

American Sniper is essential Eastwood. The film - based on actual sniper Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) who served four tours in Iraq - has intriguing levels and potency. Ennio Morricone's music at the end brings Eastwood's phenomenal career echoing back.

Eastwood can make films that appeal both to conservatives and liberals. That's a rare ability. American Sniper is one of those films.… Expand

26 of 69 users found this helpful2643

BenHazelden

Jan 23, 2015

An incredible film that had me on the edge of my seat for the entire viewing, the fighting is extremely realistic and grim, the acting is great, and the directing by Clint Eastwood is breathtaking - therefore this gets a ten, and you must watch it.
10/10 - Ben Hazelden

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

Farsheed

Jun 6, 2016

I like Clint Eastwood movies, but it was his best as a director even better than Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River. I wish he were younger to produce more masterpieces.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Jess_Hill

Jul 12, 2015

A good, though over-hyped, film. The performances are excellent, both Cooper and Miller are dynamic and believable in their roles. The cinematography was generally solid for this kind of film, and the score was typical of an American war story. The pacing was very well considered and theA good, though over-hyped, film. The performances are excellent, both Cooper and Miller are dynamic and believable in their roles. The cinematography was generally solid for this kind of film, and the score was typical of an American war story. The pacing was very well considered and the final sequence was masterfully executed. The moral subtext is where criticism is warranted as this is a film which posits the hero as a representative of the entire conflict in Iraq and, as such, any commentary on the nature of war or that particular conflict is decidedly one-dimensional. This may be expected from an Eastwood film, however, it's clear that not only is the moral quandry not central to the plot, it is also treated with disdain in the dialogue, which may play well for an American audience, but smacks of the 'MURICA mentality rather than good storytelling. A solid bo-yah film with little depth. 6.86/10… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

heatherm

Feb 3, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While this movie undoubtedly has good, dramatic moments, overall it's a superficial treatment of a complex subject. One comedian on the Nightly Show described it as "duck hunt but with Iraqis", and that wasn't an unfair assessment. Even in the rare moments that interaction occurs between the American forces and the people they're invading, the Iraqis invariably turn out to be trying to kill the Americans, a simplistic and uninteresting way to portray them, since the Americans are the only good guys. The enemy sniper, who is intended to be the foil and rival to the American Chris Kyle, is nothing more than a cardboard cutout of a cartoonish villain, complete with long eyelashes and a headscarf. Especially since our protagonist never entertained any doubts about the essential goodness of what he was doing in Iraq, it felt like a simplified and one-sided story about the war.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

zedzded

Jan 9, 2015

Mediocre... Mildly entertaining, nothing new or very fresh here. A good performance by Bradley Cooper but let's face it, the lead character is fairly one dimensional so that wasn't exactly a stretch.

And I don't feel the direction was especially crisp either. However it's clear we areMediocre... Mildly entertaining, nothing new or very fresh here. A good performance by Bradley Cooper but let's face it, the lead character is fairly one dimensional so that wasn't exactly a stretch.

And I don't feel the direction was especially crisp either. However it's clear we are supposed to view Kyle as an all American hero. While his counterpart, the other sniper who does exactly the same job as him is patently a savage.

I read Kyle's book before I saw this movie and I know Eastwood has selectively ignored Kyle's complete psychopathy which was readily apparent from his own words in the book and instead attempted to portray him as an empathetic family man which I never felt from reading Kyle's words. This man loved to kill people, pure and simple. That was his motivation.

Live by the sword, die by the sword... And i could hardly feel any emotion or sympathy for someone who clearly took pleasure from killing others.… Expand

8 of 16 users found this helpful88

boeserschnaps

Apr 1, 2015

Normally I really like Eastwood's films and normally I really like war movies, but this one is really stupid. Sadly you get the feeling the sole purpose is propaganda for the US war machine. There is no real dealing with the problems Kyle encounters back home.

8 of 13 users found this helpful85

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