American Sniper

 

I was always going to see American Sniper but it was its Oscar nominations that caught my attention more than the trailer.  I enjoy seeing a noisy war film on the big screen so it was never going to be a chore to sit in a darkened room for 2hours.

It wasn’t until the closing credits that I realised that Chris Kyle was a real person and the film was based on true events.  Those of you who know me will come to expect the following disclaimer but for all you random spammers out there this is for you:  I am too lazy to do any research into the origins of a film.  A film is a film and is judged as such.  End of.

PLOT:  Texan born Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) joins the Seals and is deployed to Iraq where becomes a famous/infamous sniper depending on which side of the conflict you are routing for.  Kyle then struggles to switch off from the war when he is at home with his wife (Sienna Miller) and young children before it is time for his next tour.  END PLOT

The plot of American Sniper doesn’t flow particularly well and plays out like a series of set pieces which alternate between America and Iraq.  The film just about gets away with it but Kyle’s struggles to adapt to home life aren’t given much depth so there were times I was hoping the film would move back to Iraq just so that something would happen.  A bit more personal conflict from Kyle was needed to give the film the emotional punches it was sorely lacking.  I will freely admit that the closing montage did get to me but, with all due respect to the Kyle family, American Sniper was so lacking in emotion it felt like a manipulative ploy for tears.

Bradley Cooper is fine as Chris Kyle and gives a solid performance but nothing more.  I would like to give Cooper the benefit of the doubt and say that he was hampered by a script that was perhaps too understated for its own good but as a general rule Cooper was born with greater amounts of enthusiasm than talent so this is probably all he had to give.

Sienna Miller is having a great run at playing someone's wife and is the only other character in American Sniper who is given any screen time or development.  I could name the entire crew that set out to save Private Ryan however I have no recollection of any other soldier other than Kyle in a film I watched less than 24hours ago.  I appreciate that American Sniper is a biopic but a bit more fleshing out of Kyle’s army brothers would have helped give the film the heart it was sorely lacking.

The on the ground action was well executed and there was plenty of drama in the final shoot out.  The sniping scenes had plenty of tension and who doesn’t love a good old fashioned “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” style follow the bullet shot?  The action was solid but it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before. 

The script, acting and action in American Sniper are all fine but the heart and emotion needed to make the film memorable are nowhere to be seen.  American Sniper gets 6/10.  A definite cinema watch but it is by no means a classic.

Is it worthy of the awards hype? No.

Foxcatcher

 

Oscar Season is finally kicking into gear and this week’s contender is Foxcatcher.  I admit that aside from a brief infatuation with the WWE around the time the Hardy Boyz were putting Edge and Christian through tables I know absolutely nothing about the world of wrestling in any form or at any level.

The Schultz brothers and Du Pont were complete strangers to me therefore I have no idea how accurately they have been portrayed.  I am not asking either.  I pride myself on a complete refusal to do any extracurricular research into the films that I watch.  A film is a film and should be judged as such.

 

PLOT: Olympic gold medal winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) joins the Foxcatcher wrestling team formed by John du Pont (Steve Carell) to train for the 1988 Olympics.  Schultz moves into du Pont’s training grounds however following a violent altercation Schultz begins to rethink their relationship.  END PLOT

Foxcatcher is a quiet film with an understated script which seems to follow a less is more pattern.  There were lots of pointed silences and due to my complete lack of prior knowledge I felt that I was missing the significance of what was not being said.  It was a bizarre feeling and one that I haven’t experienced before.  Nevertheless the film was always engaging and I was blown away by the closing events. 

 

Channing Tatum is a favourite of mine and I have been a fan from the good old Step Up days.  I don’t pretend that he is the strongest actor in the world but neither does he and I am enjoying his success as much as he is baffled by it.  It was good to see him try something serious and despite having a minimal amount of dialogue to showcase what he could do Tatum can hold his head up high.

Mark Ruffalo is the perfect everyman and is always likeable however it is Steve Carell who was the biggest surprise as Foxcatcher marks the first time I have seen him in a non-comedic role.  Carell was perfectly creepy and some of his attempts to coach the wrestlers were purposely uncomfortable to watch.  I wasn’t sure what to make of du Pont and what his intentions were but when Carell was on screen I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

 

The film is a slow burner and despite clocking in at a lengthy 2hours 9mins (IMDB) I was engrossed.  It perhaps lacked the emotional intensity of other sports films such as Warrior or Friday Night Lights but the performances were strong enough to make it worth my time.  Foxcatcher gets a very respectable 7/10 but unless I suddenly take an interest in wrestling I would be hard pressed to find a reason to watch it again.