American Sniper

Any movie that starts off with September 11 footage and ends in Cowboys Stadium with flags waving will honor the American Soldier & Sailor.  That was probably what director Clint Eastwood wrote on the wall the first day of filming.  When you have a guiding principle like that, you will not stray from your mission.

Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, a rodeo cowboy from Texas who enlists in the Navy after 9/11.  When told that BUD/S  SEAL training is the toughest,  he is there.  The movie takes a familiar stroll thorough the training academy and then lands in Iraq.   Chris trains as a sniper and is tasked with "Protecting from Above" watching over the troops as they clear houses  and all of the attendant dangers.

Four tours of duty will take a toll on any man, even the one they call Legend.  We see flashes of his PTSD but he does a pretty good job of hiding it.  There is a nice nod to another post war movie - academy award winner The Deer Hunter.

The military attention to detail is pretty impressive in the settings.  Interesting how some scenes there is rank and insignia displayed and some there is not.    But otherwise, there is not a lot of military structure or justice.  There is very little oversight by officers or ranking NCO's.  It's all about him  - when he says charge, the troops charge.   Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead.

As with other Eastwood movies, there is going to be some liberties taken to contrast the good v. evil (Gran Torino, Flags of Our Fathers)  e.g. The Legend v. the Butcher.  But even knowing that, it manages to touch all the bases.  Mission Accomplished.

* * * * of 4

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

If you factor out "Hillary Clinton" from this story, you're left with a question of... what actually happened here?  Director Michael Bay does a very nice job of answering that question.  And .. spoiler... there is not Hillary Clinton references in the movie.

In Benghazi, on September 11, there was a secret CIA base near the US Consulate.  Why is there a US Consulate there?  We don't know, any more we know about the CIA dealings.  A group of "security" was at the CIA base.  When the Consulate comes under attack, the security group on their own volition, heads into the fight, to see to protect the US Ambassador, who happens to be visiting on that day.

John Krasinski stars as "Jack Silva" a pseudonym for the real author.  Other than him, there are no big stars to speak of.  I really liked it.  Very similar to Black Hawk Down, which Michael Bay said he was offered a chance to direct.  Also it will remind you of American Sniper.  

 First 5 star movie of the year.

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