Screen Scene: American Sniper
October 17, 2014
Bradley Cooper has had an incredible past two years with wrapping up his hilarious “Hangover” trilogy, playing alongside Christian Bale and Amy Adams in “American Hustle,” and all while being nominated for Academy Awards left and right in films like “Silver Linings Playbook.” He doesn’t seem to be finished, though.
He has begun to show that he can play any part from the cool guy everyone wants to be, to the distraught cop, and even an ex-teacher that’s done time in a mental institution. The point is, Cooper has shown to be one versatile actor, and action star and director Clint Eastwood has picked up on that.
At the beginning of next year, Eastwood and Cooper will release their film “American Sniper,” which recalls the military career of Navy S.E.A.L. Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in American history.
The trailer opens with a simple white background with a simple black and white rendering of the Warner Bros. logo, which is eye-catching in itself, and at the same time you hear clicking which is assumed to be the sound of someone loading a rifle. The first images we see are the long barrel of a military grade rifle, and Bradley Cooper with a rugged beard. We get the impression that he is obviously a sniper for the U.S. Military and is in some sort of Middle East location. As the trailer progresses the tension increases but the added noise decreases, which gives the trailer a great deal of suspense. Cooper’s character is confronted with a tough situation as a woman and a child pose a threat to the platoon he is supposed to be watching, and the trailer does a phenomenal job of portraying the moral and ethical dilemma going through his head as he chooses whether or not to take these possibly innocent lives. There are contrast images of his target and being in combat with flashbacks of his home life and family, as well as no music, just the sound of his breathing and heartbeat. The combination of these elements makes this not only one phenomenal trailer but hopefully one epic retelling of a Navy S.E.A.L with over 150 confirmed kills. Check out the trailer below:
