Movie: American Sniper

American Sniper:  the Iraq War as a Western.  Directed by Clint Eastwood, this film has all the elements that have made Eastwood one of the great story tellers and directors of American West sagas.  In telling the story of Chris Kyle, who completed 4 tours of duty in Iraq, we are presented with a 21^st century version of the tale told by Eastwood in his 1992 movie The Unforgiven.  In this story, based on Kyle’s autobiography, Kyle is presented as someone with a strong sense of justice, a clear vision and the ability to separate the good guys from the bad.  Early on, his father ingrains in him that the world is divided into sheep, wolves and sheepdogs.  American Sniper has been criticized by some as offering an idealized view of its main character.  The film, however, clearly shows the psychological and emotional trauma that results directly from multiple tours in Iraq.  Bradley Cooper as Kyle does an amazing job of portraying a man under stress.  Cooper definitely earned his Oscar nomination and the film rightly deserves its Best Picture nomination.  As with David Oyelowo’s performance as Dr. King in Selma, you can only surmise the existence of a political dynamic whose consequence is Eastwood not receiving the Best Director nod.  At 84, Eastwood continues to work at an amazing skill level.  This is not just a “sand movie”; the cinematography is superb and the constant level of tension possesses a brutal honesty.  The counterpoints between Kyle and his wife Taya, played with honesty by Sienna Miller, further emphasize the inhuman consequences of the Iraq War.  This 134 minute film quickly grabs your attention and holds it firmly to the end.  I highly recommend this movie.