Saw American Sniper last night at Apple Cinema Fresh Pond, Cambridge, 7:40 PM show. (NOTE: for full disclosure, I manage The Cinema Club (Boston chapter at West Newton Cinema). I go review all manner of films, mostly independent, but a few commercial hits that we do not sneak preview at our film club.) The film is a big hit apparently drawing in a vastly diverse audience of many opposing ideologies. The theatre was almost fully seated! Many reactions and responses in the audience. Everyone exited at the end, in total silence as if departing a wake. Much has already been written about how director, Clint Eastwood (go figure!), has orchestrated (hes famous for his sophisticated musical scores) a reasonably well balanced and nuanced pro-/anti-war film. Brad Cooper is at his very edgy best. The film reminded me very much of Hurt Locker, that accurately depicted the undiagnosed obsessive/compulsive addiction to death defying combat suffered by many volunteer service men. Admittedly Sniper is not as sophisticated in direction and plot and character development. But to be fair, both films accurately depict the humanity of these officers fierce, compulsive loyalty to their embattled brothers and sisters officers safety and well-being. So how best to regard all of the war crimes depicted? What about wanting an authentic anti-war art film (probably an oxymoron! LOL) that correctly describes the agony of fighting in an expeditionary army of brutal, anti-insurgent Occupation? What about the fair treatment of all the growing self-doubts of the combat soldiers growing consciousness that they are sacrificing life and limb, caught up waging yet another fruitless war. I submit all of those questions are floating all over American Sniper. At least in this viewers mind. This is a film about many aspects of PTSD suffered by all the soldiers, active and veterans, and their entire extended families, and I must add that Sniper unlocks much the evolving agonizing war-guilt of much of the American people. Yes, the book, much written by Kyles widow, was an intentionally unapologetic war narrative. Even though Eastwood emotes self-avowed pro-war sentiments, I have to say that at least in my addled mind, ISIS is the obvious subtext of all the bloodiest hand-to-hand battle scenes in Fallujah and Mosol. Director Eastwood cleverly shows how Kyles narrative evolved over 4 tours of duty! FOUR!!! In the final tour he assassinates his Iraqi equal, and cries to his wife while still in combat over his if one! I wanna come home. I wanna come home now! Finally I did not realize until the very end that this American Sniper film was actually the narrative of real life veteran SEAL, Chris Kyle. I vividly remember reading about his assassination by a veteran soldier suffering severe PTSD, and thinking with a lump in my throat while expressing much I told you so! resentments about the cost of this blood lust war. All that having been said, I could have done without the closing footage showing real life documentary footage of the endless memorial funeral procession with endless waving american flags. But, again, this was a combat legend, who SEALS calculated had 160 confirmed shot dead victims on his belt, who nonetheless for better and worse, successfully fought his PTSD demons, and allegedly managed somehow to rediscover the humanity from the empty heartless void of his heart-broken soul. He obviously found a positive way to relieve his survivors guilt and his being haunted by hallucinations of combat anxieties: actively helping severely wounded veterans. It was one of those emotionally tormented veterans he was actively counseling, who turned his rifle on Kyle and killed him point blank on a rifle range. Bitter irony is perhaps a major point of this war film, replete with many eminently teachable moments. The film hit is out there. Millions are seeing it. Why not confront the films stunning success, and deal directly with the all the omissions and all the commissions? Your thoughts?
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 20:36:46 +0000
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