most effective moment of Kyle’s
difficult home life feels like a
holdover from Spielberg’s draft,
cleverly using a TV set in what
feels like a nod to Poltergeist.
Cooper delivers a career best
performance in the role of Kyle,
beautifully under-playing the
part and effectively capturing
the frustration of balancing a
sense of duty with a belief that
no end game is in sight. The ex-
tra brawn he carries allows his
face to shrink into his heft, his
muscle a mask for the feelings
he can’t express.
In portraying a contentious
figure without resorting to demonising or valorizing Kyle,
Eastwood has crafted an ambiguous portrait of a figure who
in an ideal world wouldn’t exist.
Not bad for an 84-year-old journeyman.
3.5 out of 5
Watch The Trailer For American Sniper
New Jersey Stage
January 2015
pg 56