Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Blown away - figuratively speaking, at least! We just watched this, and it was excellent. I saw Chris Kyle's wife cry on the news after watching the trailer, and I have to say, that was probably the most moving and emotional thing I have seen associated with the movie. A few details: As some have pointed out, it did not necessarily follow the book. They had to make a story out of it that everyone would sit and watch, and chose a couple specific scenarios to highlight and romanticize a bit. But this is great storytelling, make no mistake, and Clint Eastwood continues to show why he is one of the most respected directors in the world. There is also more emotional struggle here than in the book, and in my opinion, that makes the main character more relatable. If the performance was quite as cold and had come to terms with his role as the real Chris Kyle, I am not sure we as an audience would have been able to relate. That would be tough to watch. He still has very clear direction and sense of purpose, don't get me wrong. But the reality is truly far beyond what you can display successfully on screen. Bradley Cooper absolutely changes my opinion of him as a lead male actor. I loved things like Hangover, Wedding Crashers, and more serious roles like Limitless and Silver Linings Playbook. But this puts him on a totally different level as an actor. This is grand-scale, emotional story telling, and you will talk about this movie after. You may relate to it politically, you may hold Kyle up as a hero, or perhaps vilify him. But when you look at it from a storytelling aspect, regardless, it is excellent. Just don't expect it to be a documentary. Hint: This film is worth watching in a theater. Not just for the larger than life battle scenes, but for the experience of an entire theater, nearly silent, at the end.