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

72%

Tomatometer

300 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

Full Review

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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

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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

Frans B

Powerful, emotional and very gritty. Directed to a tee by Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper excels as usual exceptionally well in character. Top class cinematography and writing. Succeeds in gripping you to the point where you can almost experience the settings physically. Outstanding on absolutely every level. Truly a memorable movie about a memorable man

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/01/25

Full Review

Joachim M

How Bradley Cooper didn't win the Best Actor and the film not winning Best Picture are both so far beyond me it's tragically funny.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

Full Review

Liv R

This is a film that is showing the duality of a man's life. It is showing his life before the military, and then how his life develops throughout his tours in Iraq as a Navy Seal sniper. Throughout the movie you see all of the things that happened to him while he is over there, and all of the people he lost and how that affects him when he gets back to his wife and kids. Eventually you see his PTSD come into play, though he still chooses to fight for his country rather than retiring and not finishing his tours. You see the strain this choice takes on all of his relationships especially with his wife and it makes you question why he is doing this, and if it will all be worth it in the end. I think this is one of the best films ever put out to this day. I think this to be true, because it is so amazingly filmed and edited. But also because there is such a beautiful story and message behind it. I also greatly admire this film because it is based off a true story and is a tribute to a very real person who experienced these situations. You can tell they put so much effort and time into this film and were very close with detailing. They didn't just throw it together quickly and make it just any military movie, they really made sure the message was clear. They made sure that the emotions and tension were felt through every viewer, I've seen this film countless times, and every time I still cry at the ending because of how they filmed it with such grace, while also keeping the story as true as possible. There is also such a beautiful and heartwarming tribute at the very end of the movie for Christopher Kyle, who the movie is based off of.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/04/25

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, Malpaso Company, 22nd & Indiana
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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