American Sniper (film)
| American Sniper | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Clint Eastwood |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Jason Hall |
| Based on | American Sniper by Chris Kyle Scott McEwen Jim DeFelice |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Tom Stern |
| Edited by | |
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Production company |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release dates |
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Running time |
133 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $60 million[2][3][4] |
| Box office | $134.1 million[2] |
American Sniper is a 2014 American biographical war drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Jason Hall. It is based on Chris Kyle's autobiography American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History. With 255 kills, 160 of which were officially confirmed by the Department of Defense, Kyle is the deadliest marksman in U.S. military history. His widow Taya Renae Kyle was heavily involved with the making of the film.
The film stars Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller with Luke Grimes, Kyle Gallner, Sam Jaeger, Jake McDorman, and Cory Hardrict in supporting roles.
The world premiere was on November 11, 2014, at the American Film Institute Festival, followed by a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 25, 2014. It received a wide release on January 16, 2015 and set numerous box office opening records including the records for highest opening for a movie released in January and giving Eastwood the biggest opening of his career.
At the 87th Academy Awards, American Sniper received six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Cooper.
Contents
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Plot[edit]
Chris Kyle grew up in Texas, where his father raised him 'to be a sheepdog who protects others, and not a sheep or a wolf.' Kyle is a rodeo cowboy when he sees news coverage of the 1998 United States embassy bombings and enlists in the Navy, where he is eventually accepted for SEAL training, and becomes a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper.
Kyle meets Taya Renae at a bar, they marry, and he is deployed to Iraq after the September 11, 2001 attacks. His first kill is a mother and son who attack a Marine patrol with a grenade. Kyle is visibly upset by the experience, but earns the nickname "Legend" for his many kills.
Kyle returns home to his wife and the birth of his son. He is distracted by memories of his war experiences, and fights with Taya over bootleg footage of a U.S. Marine who is shot dead by enemy sniper "savages". Taya expresses her concern for them as a couple and wishes Kyle would focus on his home and family.
Kyle enlists for a second tour. He is promoted to chief petty officer and assigned to hunt for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. During house-to-house searches in evacuated areas, Kyle interrogates a family and for $100,000 the father offers to lead the SEALs to "The Butcher", second-in-command to al-Zarqawi. The plan goes awry when The Butcher captures the father and son and they are both killed. Meanwhile, the insurgents put a bounty on Kyle.
Kyle returns home from his second tour to a newborn daughter and he is increasingly distant from his family. on his third tour, a unit member is seriously injured and the unit is evacuated back to base. The unit decide to return to the field and continue the mission. Another SEAL is killed by an expert insurgent sniper, compelling Kyle with guilt and duty to undertake a fourth tour. Taya doesn't understand his decision, tells him she needs him, and for a moment, implies that they should stay apart.
Kyle is assigned to take down the expert insurgent sniper, "Mustafa", who has been picking off U.S. army combat engineers building a barricade. His sniper team is placed inside enemy territory. Kyle spots the sniper, makes a risky long distance shot, and exposes his team position to a large number of armed insurgents. In the midst of the firefight, Kyle calls Taya and tells her he is ready to come home. A sandstorm provides cover for their chaotic escape in which Kyle is injured and almost left behind.
Kyle returns home, on edge and unable to fully adjust to civilian life. He tells a Veterans Affairs psychiatrist he is "haunted by all the guys he couldn't save". The psychiatrist encourages him to help wounded veterans in the VA hospital. Kyle meets veterans who suffered severe injuries, coaches them at a shooting range in the woods, and gradually begins to adjust to home life.
Years later, on February 2nd, 2013, Kyle, playful and happy, says goodbye to his wife and family as he leaves to spend time with another veteran at the shooting range. on-screen subtitles reveal: "Kyle was killed that day by a veteran he was trying to help," followed by stock footage of thousands of people standing in line along the highway for his funeral procession. Thousands more are shown attending Cowboys Stadium for his memorial service.
Cast[edit]
- Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle[5]
- Sienna Miller as Taya Renae Kyle[6]
- Max Charles as Colton Kyle[7]
- Luke Grimes as Marc Lee[8]
- Kyle Gallner as Goat-Winston[9]
- Sam Jaeger as Captain Martens[10]
- Jake McDorman as Biggles[11]
- Cory Hardrict as 'D' / Dandridge[12]
- Navid Negahban as Sheikh Al-Obodi[13]
- Eric Close as DIA Agent Snead[13]
- Eric Ladin as Squirrel[13]
- Joel Lambert as Delta Sniper[14]
- Rey Gallegos as Tony[13]
- Kevin Lacz as Dauber[15]
- Brian Hallisay as Captain Gillespie
- Jonathan Groff as Young Vet
- Ben Reed as Wayne Kyle
- Billy Miller The Navy Recruiter who recruiters Kyle into the Navy Seals
- Elise Robertson as Debby Kyle
- Keir O'Donnell as Jeff Kyle
- Marnette Patterson as Sarah
- Jason Hall as Cowboy
- Leonard Roberts as Instructor Roll
- Sammy Sheik as Mustafa (enemy sniper)
Production[edit]
On May 24, 2012, it was announced that Warner Bros. had acquired the rights to the book with Bradley Cooper set to produce and star in the screen adaptation.[5] Cooper had thought of Chris Pratt to play Kyle but WB agreed to buy it only if he would star.[16] September 2012, David O. Russell stated that he was interested in directing the film.[17] on May 2, 2013, it was announced that Steven Spielberg would direct.[18] Spielberg had read Kyle's book, though he desired to have a more psychological conflict present in the screenplay so an "enemy sniper" character can serve as the insurgent sharpshooter who was trying to track down and kill Kyle. Spielberg's ideas contributed to the development of a lengthy screenplay approaching 160 pages. Due to Warner Bros.' budget restraints, Spielberg felt he could not bring his vision of the story to the screen.[3] on August 5, 2013, Spielberg dropped out of directing.[19] on August 21, 2013, it was reported that Clint Eastwood would instead direct the film.[20]
Casting[edit]
On March 14, 2014, Sienna Miller joined the cast.[6] on March 16, 2014, Kyle Gallner was cast[9] and March 18, 2014, Cory Hardrict was cast in the film.[12] on March 20, 2014, Navid Negahban, Eric Close, Eric Ladin, Rey Gallegos, and Jake McDorman also joined the cast,[11][13] as did Luke Grimes and Sam Jaeger on March 25, 2014.[8][10] Kevin Lacz, a former Navy SEAL, was also cast and served as a technical advisor.[15] Another former Navy SEAL, Joel Lambert, also joined the film, portraying a Delta sniper.[14] on June 3, Max Charles was added to the cast to portray Kyle's son, Colton Kyle.[7]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography began on March 31, 2014 in Los Angeles;[21] it was also partly shot in Morocco.[22] on April 23, the Los Angeles Times reported that ten days of filming set in an Afghan village was set to begin at the Blue Cloud Movie Ranch in the Santa Clarita area.[23] on May 7, shooting of the film was spotted around El Centro; a milk factory was used as the abandoned date factory which insurgents close in on from all directions at the climax of the film.[24][25] Later on May 14, Cooper was spotted filming some scenes in Culver City, California,[26] and then he followed by shooting scenes again in Los Angeles on May 16.[27] on May 30, Cooper and Miller were spotted during the filming of their characters' wedding scenes; they were filming aboard a yacht in Marina del Rey.[28] on June 3, Cooper was spotted in the uniform of a Navy SEAL marksman aiming during the filming of some scenes at a Los Angeles shooting range.[29]
Cinematographer Tom Stern shot the film with Arri Alexa XT digital cameras and Panavision C-, E- and G-Series anamorphic lenses.[30] The film is Eastwood's second to be shot digitally, after Jersey Boys.[31]
Release[edit]
American Sniper premiered at the AFI Fest on November 11, 2014, just after a screening of Selma at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles.[32] The film received a limited release in New York City, Los Angeles and Dallas on December 25, 2014, and then a North American wide release on January 16, 2015.[33]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
"The movie has become a cultural phenomenon...It tore apart the record book and not by a little. By an enormous amount."
As of January 18, 2015, American Sniper had grossed $90.2 million in North America and $29 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $119 million, against a budget of $60 million.
The world premiere for American Sniper was on November 11, 2014, at the American Film Institute Festival, followed by a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 25, 2014. It received a wide release on January 16, 2015 and garnered over $90 million in receipts during its opening weekend alone. Setting box office records -- it became the top-grossing film ever to premiere in January -- the audience response gave Eastwood the biggest opening of his career. The previous record holder, Avatar, earned $68 million on its opening weekend in January 2010. American Sniper also became overall top-grossing winter film, surpassing The Passion of the Christ, which saw gross returns of nearly $84 million on its opening weekend in 2004.[35]
Clearly well received by its general audiences, the film was rated by them at 89% with an average ranking of 4.3/5 stars on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critical response[edit]
American Sniper received positive reviews from critics, though more subdued than that of the general population. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a "Certified Fresh" rating of 73%, based on 183 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's consensus states, "Powered by Clint Eastwood's sure-handed direction and a gripping central performance from Bradley Cooper, American Sniper delivers a tense, vivid tribute to its real-life subject."[36] on Metacritic, the film has a score of 72 out of 100, based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[37] In CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, cinema audiences gave American Sniper an average grade of A+ on an A+ to F scale.[38]
Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "A taut, vivid and sad account of the brief life of the most accomplished marksman in American military annals, American Sniper feels very much like a companion piece—in subject, theme and quality—to The Hurt Locker."[39] Justin Chang of Variety gave the film a positive review, saying "Hard-wiring the viewer into Kyle’s battle-scarred psyche thanks to an excellent performance from a bulked-up Bradley Cooper, this harrowing and intimate character study offers fairly blunt insights into the physical and psychological toll exacted on the front lines, yet strikes even its familiar notes with a sobering clarity that finds the 84-year-old filmmaker in very fine form."[40] David Denby of The New Yorker gave the film a positive review, saying "Both a devastating war movie and a devastating antiwar movie, a subdued celebration of a warrior's skill and a sorrowful lament over his alienation and misery."[41] Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C+, saying "The film's just a repetition of context-free combat missions and one-dimensional targets."[42] Elizabeth Weitzman of New York Daily News gave the film four out of five stars, saying "The best movies are ever-shifting, intelligent and open-hearted enough to expand alongside an audience. American Sniper, Clint Eastwood's harrowing meditation on war, is built on this foundation of uncommon compassion."[43] Amy Nicholson of LA Weekly gave the film a C-, saying "Cautiously, Eastwood has chosen to omit Kyle's self-mythologizing altogether, which is itself a distortion of his character. We're not watching a biopic."[44] Kyle Smith of the New York Post gave the film four out of five stars, saying "After 40 years of Hollywood counterpropaganda telling us war is necessarily corrupting and malign, its ablest practitioners thugs, loons or victims, American Sniper nobly presents the case for the other side."[45]
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "Bradley Cooper, as Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, and director Eastwood salute Kyle's patriotism best by not denying its toll. Their targets are clearly in sight, and their aim is true."[46] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club gave the film a B, saying "American Sniper is imperfect and at times a little corny, but also ambivalent and complicated in ways that are uniquely Eastwoodian."[47] James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "American Sniper lifts director Clint Eastwood out of the doldrums that have plagued his last few films."[48] Rafer Guzman of Newsday gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Cooper nails the role of an American killing machine in Clint Eastwood's clear-eyed look at the Iraq War."[49] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review, saying "Eastwood's impeccably crafted action sequences so catch us up in the chaos of combat we are almost not aware that we're watching a film at all."[50] Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film three out of four stars, saying "It's clearly Cooper's show. Substantially bulked up and affecting a believable Texas drawl, Cooper embodies Kyle's confidence, intensity and vulnerability."[51] Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out New York gave the film four out of five stars, saying "Just as only Nixon could go to China, only Clint Eastwood could make a movie about an Iraq War veteran and infuse it with doubts, mission anxiety and ruination."[52] Inkoo Kang of The Wrap gave the film a negative review, saying "Director Clint Eastwood‘s focus on Kyle is so tight that no other character, including wife Taya (Sienna Miller), comes through as a person, and the scope so narrow that the film engages only superficially with the many moral issues surrounding the Iraq War."[53]
North America[edit]
Limited release[edit]
In North America, the film opened to a limited release on December 25, 2014, playing at four theaters — two in New York, one in Los Angeles, and one in Dallas — and earned $610,000 in its opening weekend ($850,000 including Christmas Day) at an average of $152,500 per venue debuting at #22.[54][55] The following week the film earned $676,909 playing at the same number of locations at an average of $169,277 per theater, which is the second-biggest weekend average ever for a live-action movie (previously held by 2001's Moulin Rouge!).[56] American Sniper holds the record for the most entries in the top 20 Top Weekend Theater Averages with 3 entries. It earned a total of $3.4 million from limited release in three weekends.[57]
Wide release[edit]
Prior to its North American wide debut, various critics and box office insiders predicted that the film would be a significant hit at the box office in its opening weekend, citing evidence of drawing faith-based and military audiences, earning a solid score of A+ in CinemaScore, The New York Times Best Seller list status of the memoir, acclaimed leading star Bradley Cooper, and the prominence of Middle Eastern wartime topics in the headlines at that time, such as the numerous ISIS threats and the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attacks. Fandango reported that the film accounted for more than 70% of their pre-ticket sales. The film was also outselling 2013's Lone Survivor, a similar war drama based film.[58] Preliminary reports indicated that the film could open to $45 million to $50 million over the four-day Martin Luther King weekend.[59][4] Following the announcement that the film was nominated for six Oscars at the 87th Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best actor for Cooper), critics raised their projection to over $50 million opening,[60][61] which was revised to a $55—$61 million three day opening and a $70+ million four day opening the next day.[62][63][64]
The film began its wide debut across North American theaters on January 16, 2015 (Thursday night showings began at 7:00 pm).[65] It set an all-time highest Thursday night opening record for a R-rated drama with $5.3 million (previously held by Lone Survivor with $1.9 million).[66][67][68] The film topped the box office on its opening day grossing $30.5 million (including Thursday previews) from 3,555 theaters setting January records for both biggest debut opening (previously held by Cloverfield) and single-day gross (previously held by Avatar).[69][70][71] In its traditional three-day opening the film earned $89.5 million which was double than expected and broke the record for the largest January opening (previously held by Ride Along with $41.5 million), which is also Eastwood's top opening as a director surpassing Gran Torino 's $29.5 million opening.[72] The three-day opening is also the biggest opening weekend for a drama film (previously held by The Passion of the Christ with $83 million),[73] the second biggest debut for a Best Picture Oscar nominee (behind Toy Story 3 with $109 million),[74] the second biggest debut for an R-rated film (behind The Matrix: Reloaded with $91.8 million), and the second biggest for a non-comic book, non-fantasy/sci-fi film (behind Fast and Furious 6 with $97.3 million).[75][74] It also set an IMAX opening record with $9.5 million ($11.5 million from Friday to Monday) beating Fox's Prometheus, which made $9 million in 2012.[76]
Other territories[edit]
In Italy, the film was released on December 31, 2014 and earned $7.1 million in its opening weekend.[77][78]
Controversy[edit]
Some critics have characterized the film, and Eastwood's stance on war, to be politically conservative. The film was called a "A Patriotic, Pro-War on Terror Masterpiece" by conservative website Breitbart.com.[79] Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore and comedian Seth Rogen both tweeted responses to the film that stoked controversy, with Moore referring to snipers as cowards and Rogen comparing the film to the Nazi propaganda film-within-a-film in Inglourious Basterds.[80]
Eastwood said of the film: “These fellows who are professional soldiers, Navy personnel or what have you, go in for a certain reason. Their commander-in-chief (U.S. President Barack Obama) is a Democrat and the administration is, and there’s no political aspect there other than the fact that a lot of things happen in war zones."[81]
Accolades[edit]
| List of Accolades | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipients | Result |
| Academy Awards[82] | Best Picture | Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper, Peter Morgan | Pending |
| Best Actor | Bradley Cooper | Pending | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Jason Hall | Pending | |
| Best Film Editing | Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach | Pending | |
| Best Sound Editing | Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman | Pending | |
| Best Sound Mixing | John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin | Pending | |
| Art Directors Guild Awards[83] | Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film | James J. Murakami, Charisse Cardenas | Pending |
| ACE Eddie Awards[84] | Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic | Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach | Pending |
| American Film Institute Awards 2014[85] | Top Ten Films of the Year | Won | |
| British Academy Film Awards[86] | Best Adapted Screenplay | Jason Hall | Pending |
| Best Sound | Walt Martin, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman | Pending | |
| Cinema Audio Society Awards[87] | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Live Action | Walt Martin, Gregg Rudloff, John Reitz, Robert Fernandez, Thomas J. O’Connell, James Ashwell | Pending |
| Critics' Choice Award[88] | Best Action Movie | American Sniper | Nominated |
| Best Actor in an Action Movie | Bradley Cooper | Won | |
| Denver Film Critics Society[89][90] | Best Picture | American Sniper | Won |
| Best Director | Clint Eastwood | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Bradley Cooper (tied with Ralph Fiennes in The Grand Budapest Hotel) | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Sienna Miller | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Jason Hall | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Tom Stern | Nominated | |
| Directors Guild of America Award[91] | Outstanding Directing – Feature Film | Clint Eastwood | Pending |
| Iowa Film Critics[92] | Best Movie Yet to Open in Iowa | American Sniper (tied with A Most Violent Year) | Won |
| MPSE Golden Reel Awards[93] | Feature English Language - Effects/Foley | Bub Asman, Alan Robert Murray | Pending |
| National Board of Review[94] | Top Ten Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Clint Eastwood | Won | |
| Producers Guild of America Awards[95] | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Bradley Cooper, Clint Eastwood, Andrew Lazar, Robert Lorenz, Peter Morgan | Pending |
| Writers Guild of America Awards[96] | Best Adapted Screenplay | Jason Hall | Pending |
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