American Sniper

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2:12

American Sniper

R

Released Jan 16, 2015

2h 12m

War

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

299 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) takes his sole mission -- protect his comrades -- to heart and becomes one of the most lethal snipers in American history. His pinpoint accuracy not only saves countless lives but also makes him a prime target of insurgents. Despite grave danger and his struggle to be a good husband and father to his family back in the States, Kyle serves four tours of duty in Iraq. However, when he finally returns home, he finds that he cannot leave the war behind.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Kat Sachs

Chicago Reader

I don’t know that it accomplishes the same covert intricacy as some other Eastwood films, but it was interesting to revisit.

Mar 4, 2025

Full Review

Udita Jhunjhunwala

Livemint

The script and direction are unabashedly skewed towards feeding a lowest-common-denominator notion of war heroes and takes a righteous stand in favour of war, rather than exploring or portraying an authentic picture of the psychological impact...

Aug 5, 2019

Full Review

J. Hoberman

The New York Review of Books

For many, I suspect, American Sniper may be weirdly liberating-gratifying a perhaps hitherto unsuspected desire to see their pessimism, hopeless and unchanging, projected on the screen.

Mar 7, 2019

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Eastwood steers clear of politics—it’s not about questioning the mission, it’s about the toll the mission takes on victims and survivors alike.

Aug 19, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Eastwood and Hall construct a very cinematic, romantic tale that leaves little to question; though reality, as always, is far more intricate and certainly not as black-and-white. As the saying goes, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 12, 2022

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

In many ways, "American Sniper" is new territory for Clint Eastwood while still retaining his signature hallmark of grit and heart.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 26, 2022

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Jeff C

Emotional. (Minus the obvious fake baby blunder), remarkable film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/28/21

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N

I think this was better than a lot of people say.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/17/21

Full Review

William I

It was fast-moving and was an accurate picture of the circumstances at that time. The actors were excellent!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/12/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Cooper plays this character SO WELL

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/21/25

Full Review

Jacopo D

Clint Eastwood riesce a guardare con gran serietà e gran drammaticità un tema molto complesso. Inoltre il film è straordinariamente avvincente.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/11/25

Full Review

SkyRo P

American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper, is a solid film that delivers a strong war narrative and gives audiences a gritty, realistic portrayal of a sniper’s life on and off the battlefield. I respect what the movie tried to do—it brought a grounded war story to the big screen with moments that were emotionally impactful and visually striking. That said, while I acknowledge that it’s a good film, it didn’t fully land for me the way it did for many others. One of my biggest issues was the heavy reliance on dialogue over action. For a film centered around a sniper and the chaos of war, I was hoping for a more action-driven experience. Instead, the movie leaned more into personal conversations and emotional weight, which may work for some, but it dragged for me at times. I also felt like this film had the potential to spark a truly compelling franchise or at least elevate the sniper-war genre. Instead, it inspired a wave of follow-up sniper movies that all pretty much flatlined. American Sniper stood out because of its emotional depth and Cooper’s performance—but even then, I didn’t find myself wanting to rewatch it. It’s not a bad film by any means. It’s likely a powerful experience for many viewers. But as someone who prefers a bit more action, visual storytelling, and creativity without needing too much exposition, it just didn’t fully resonate with me. I want a film to pull me in—not feel like I’m doing homework just to stay engaged.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/04/25

Full Review

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Synopsis

U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) takes his sole mission -- protect his comrades -- to heart and becomes one of the most lethal snipers in American history. His pinpoint accuracy not only saves countless lives but also makes him a prime target of insurgents. Despite grave danger and his struggle to be a good husband and father to his family back in the States, Kyle serves four tours of duty in Iraq. However, when he finally returns home, he finds that he cannot leave the war behind.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Producer: Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper, Peter Morgan
Screenwriter: Jason Hall
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Mad Chance, 22nd & Indiana, Malpaso Company
Rating: R (Some Sexual References|Language Throughout|Strong Disturbing War Violence)
Genre: War, Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $350.1M
Runtime: 2h 12m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, Datasat, Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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