On the losing side or on the winning side, no matter where you are; war
takes a mouthful bite from your life without making much exemption. The real war-zone is never out in the geographical field measured by and directed as the
degrees of longitudes and latitudes but is your conscience. The perfect illustration
can be seen in a situation where Bradley Cooper playing US military’s deadliest
shooter-sniper Chris Kyle is in wrestle with his own mind whether to pull the
trigger or not. The target on the other side is an Iraqi kid with a grenade-launcher.
The heart skips a beat or two and the tension in those fractions of a second makes
the air hotter, for the scene and for a watcher too.
Veteran Clint Eastwood directs Bradley Cooper for his career-best performance
in AMERICAN SNIPER, a war-drama based on the autobiography of Chris Kyle- a
lethal sniper with a title ‘the legend’ for taking more than 160 targets down
officially, in his term of more than 1000 days in Iraq. Kyle is; strong,
unshaken and sure as his shots and shaky, uncertain and panicky as any family
guy. Whenever at home, he’s never at peace. The ambiguity and the anguish of the
war are slowly but steadily entering into the relaxed zone of a regular married
life. The targets have changed to his wife [Sienna Miller] and the kids.
Besieged by the ruthless war-events, Kyle is looking at the blank TV
screen with gunshots being played in the background. You don’t need to be a certified
psychiatrist to read the chaotic mental status of a soldier. Eastwood does it
for you brilliantly and Cooper plays it with equal conviction. Cooper not only shoulders
a firm base to his killing machine but gives his best shot as a performer too. His
silence echoing in the conflicts of mind can kill too. His ease at the job and
the struggle at home are a pitch-perfect performance.
AMERICAN SNIPER is thrilling, moving and psychological that makes you
restless many a times. The counterpart of Kyle is an Iraqi sniper who was once
an Olympic medalist in shooting. Who wouldn’t sink in deep after learning such
irony? The complexities and the conflicts of a war-hero in a story that is not exceedingly
great but portrayed, pictured and performed well. Worth-watching! [3.5/5]
No comments:
Post a Comment