American Sniper - Blu-ray Movie Review

Synopsis

Directed by Clint Eastwood, this film is the true story of an American war hero, Chris Kyle (played by Bradley Cooper) who received incredible accolades by being awarded two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars among many other commendations for his service in the Iraq War.  Kyle, a Texas native, served as a Navy SEAL.  He was most specifically a sniper who protected U.S. convoys and patrols when they ventured beyond the gates of the secure base.  He had over 150 confirmed kills in Iraq and became a legend among the troops due to his effectiveness in protecting them from harm.  The screenplay is based on Kyle’s autobiography.

Specifications

  • Warner Brothers
  • 2014, Color, Rated R, 2 Hr 12 mins
  • Dolby Atmos 7.1, 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Starring:  Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller
  • Directed by:  Clint Eastwood

Rating

  • Entertainment:
  • Video:
  • Audio:
  • Extras:
  • Violence: Yes
  • Sex: Mild
  • Language: Yes

Commentary

This movie was a huge box office hit.  It was also nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor.  It ultimately won the Academy Award for Sound Editing and also grabbed the AFI Award for Movie of the Year.  So this movie has been a huge success in many ways.  

I personally felt that the war time scenes were my favorite parts, being that they were right in Eastwood’s wheelhouse so to speak.  The battle scenes were tightly scripted, easy to follow and full of genuinely tense moments with some very graphic images that were really well rendered.  The early character development was solid as well.  

I just felt a little let down by two things.  First, there were some gaps in the narrative that could have supported the story better had they been filled in.  I also felt that the home scenes were not as emotionally charged as they could have been.  This was due in part to some robotic dialog as well as some hollow acting particularly on the part of Sienna Miller who plays Kyle’s wife, Taya.  These are only minor quibbles and I am very delighted to add this film to my collection and I will enjoy replaying it many times in the future. 

Technical

This is a long movie that is on a single disc with an average bit rate of approximately 25 Mbps so I though there may be some visible signs of compression artifacts but I was only bothered by this during a dust storm near the end of the movie.  Outside that, the image was tight and sharp with good contrast and natural colors.  Some of the interior scenes on the home-front were a little soft and faded looking but this was a fairly obvious artistic expression.

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This is the first Dolby Atmos title that I have had on Blu-ray and unfortunately I was not equipped to evaluate the height effects of Atmos.  I was stuck auditioning the plain ole Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track.  This was nevertheless  a total reference quality soundtrack.  The battle scenes were completely immersive with bullets flying everywhere.  All scenes, in fact, were filled with excellent surround layers when called for.  The voices were clear and legible (except when Cooper mumbled a few times).  Finally, your subwoofer will definitely get a nice work out with this movie!

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Extras

This is a two-disc set with the Blu-ray, a DVD and a Digital HD Ultraviolet code.  The two on-disc extras are in HD and include – “One Soldier’s Story: The Journey of American Sniper” and “The Making of American Sniper”.  These are both short, approximately 30 minute documentaries with similar material focused on the development of Eastwood’s interest in Kyle on through the making of the film.

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