By Eric Hillis, TheMovieWaffler.com
originally published: 01/18/2015
The phrase 'journeyman director' usually carries negative connotations, but many of cinema's finest artists could be labelled in such a way, simply for not making the same movie over and over. Clint Eastwood is one of the best journeymen we have today. Few directors could follow up Jersey Boys with American Sniper in the space of a year at the age of 84. Where he found the energy to put together a film as ambitious as his latest is baffling to this reviewer, who at less than half Eastwood's age gets tired tying his own laces.
Eastwood stepped in when Spielberg decided he couldn't deliver American Sniper with the budget on offer. It's difficult to imagine Spielberg's take on this subject, which benefits from the less stylistic agenda of a director like Eastwood.
The movie is an adaptation of the memoir of Chris Kyle, played here by a beefed up but mellowed out Bradley Cooper, a Navy SEAL sniper who, prior to his death at the hands of a disturbed fellow veteran, claimed to have notched up 255 kills, 160 of them officially confirmed. With his outspoken hatred of his enemy, to some Kyle was a hero, some a serial killer, and a mix of both to others. His path begins, like the rebooted Jack Ryan film series, with his viewing of a terrorist attack on TV, prompting himself and his younger brother to join the military.
Trained in rifle skills by his father, Kyle quickly establishes himself as an expert marksman and is assigned the role of sniper when sent to Iraq at the outset of that extended campaign.
Perched upon high, his job is to scour the area below for enemy threats to his fellow soldiers at ground level. His first victims are a woman and a young boy attempting to hurl a grenade at US troops. The hits quickly rack up, earning Kyle "legend" status among the military.
Eastwood chooses to show us Kyle's kills as the sniper himself viewed them - through his rifle scope. It has a strange, contradictory effect of both placing us in Kyle's position and simultaneously distancing us from the act of violence. There is one kill that crucially isn't presented in this way, as Kyle himself moves his eye away from the scope after firing. It's a killing that Kyle has a personal investment in, and so wants to witness it without the protection of the glass of a scope.
American Sniper is a frustrating watch, as it should be, reflective as it is of a highly frustrating situation. The movie has a villain in the form of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but there's no final confrontation, instead the focus is on one of his foot soldiers, a Syrian sniper who carries an Olympic medal for marksmanship. Eastwood presents us with some despicable acts, played out in brutal fashion, but the audience is never given the vengeance it desires.
Despite having a wife and kids back home, Kyle is most comfortable when in Iraq, and so is the film itself. The Stateside scenes are a collection of relationship clichés, with Miller's put upon spouse espousing hackneyed lines like "When you're here, you're not really here." The most effective moment of Kyle's difficult home life feels like a holdover from Spielberg's draft, cleverly using a TV set in what feels like a nod to Poltergeist.
Cooper delivers a career best performance in the role of Kyle, beautifully under-playing the part and effectively capturing the frustration of balancing a sense of duty with a belief that no end game is in sight. The extra brawn he carries allows his face to shrink into his heft, his muscle a mask for the feelings he can't express.
In portraying a contentious figure without resorting to demonising or valorizing Kyle, Eastwood has crafted an ambiguous portrait of a figure who in an ideal world wouldn't exist. Not bad for an 84-year-old journeyman.
3.5 out of 5
About the author:
Eric Hillis is a film critic living in Sligo, Ireland who runs the website
TheMovieWaffler.com
Atonement
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 12:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJAmidst the chaos of the Iraq War, the Khachaturian family is trapped in a firefight between U.S. Marines and insurgents, and one Marine’s split-second decision devastates the family. Years later, haunted by his time in Iraq and aided by a New Yorker journalist, the Marine seeks to reconcile with the Khachaturian matriarch. Anchored by unforgettable performances from Boyd Holbrook (A Complete Unknown, Narcos, The Morning Show), Hiam Abbass (Succession), and Kenneth Branagh, Atonement is a powerfully human true story about the immeasurable costs of war, exploring universal questions about guilt, redemption, and the nature of forgiveness.
The Dads - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 2:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJA group of dads building a movement to support their trans and gender expansive kids are forced to make an impossible choice amid a shifting political landscape: stay and fight or flee the country.
The Choice - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 5:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
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Women On Trial - East Coast Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ1972. A landmark trial shakes France as young Marie-Claire is prosecuted for having an illegal abortion with the help of her mother and two other defendants. In a courtroom governed by men, the verdict seems inevitable: prison for the women, while the rapist goes unpunished. Their last hope lies with Gisèle Halimi, a fearless lawyer known for openly challenging patriarchy and confronting the system that condemns victims and lets perpetrators walk free. Alongside the accused, Gisèle will not only change their fate, but, against all odds, transform the condition of women forever.
American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Puffin Cultural Forum
20 Puffin Way, Teaneck, NJAgainst political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story.
Far Out: Life On & After The Commune - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 4:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Puffin Cultural Forum
20 Puffin Way, Teaneck, NJFar Out: Life On & After the Commune traces fifty years in the lives of a group of New England writers, activists and artists. It conveys how the 1960s counterculture, embodied in two rural communes, transformed America. The story begins when a group of radical journalists leave New York for a new life in the country and follows them from the back-to-the-land movement to a new discovery of political commitment.
We Met At Grossingers - Teaneck Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 12:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Temple Emeth
1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck, NJWe Met at Grossinger’s is an immersive journey through the Jewish Catskills—once known as the Borscht Belt—reviving the iconic resort that inspired Dirty Dancing and defined an era of Jewish American life.
Dust Bowls And Jewish Souls
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 3:00pm
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1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck, NJMany know Woody Guthrie as the quintessential Oklahoman balladeer who wrote “This Land Is Your Land,” but few are aware that Jewish culture had a hand in shaping his private life and career. From award-winning filmmaker Steven Pressman (
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Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls explores Guthrie’s moving relationship with his mother-in-law, prominent Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt, and the impact she had on his songwriting.
Jane Elliott Against The World - Weekend Closing Night - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 7:30pm
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1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck, NJA rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today’s fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Teaneck International Film Festival names first recipient of Sandi Klein Creative Woman in Film Award
(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) has named filmmaker Luchina Fisher the first recipient of the Sandi Klein Creative Woman in Film Award, a new annual honor celebrating an exceptional woman whose work reflects the creativity, curiosity, integrity and commitment to social impact that defined Klein's life and her nearly two decades with the festival. The award includes a $1,000 grant. Fisher will receive the inaugural award at the TIFF screening of her film, The Dads, on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 2:30 pm at Teaneck Cinemas (503 Cedar Lane).
"Directors' Commentary" to have NJ Premiere at SModcastle Film Festival
(ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ) -- After its world premiere at Dances With Films LA (DWFLA), one of the nation's leading indie film festivals, Directors' Commentary will have its New Jersey Premiere at SModcastle Film Festival, hosted by filmmaker Kevin Smith. The film will screen on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 12:00pm.
Teaneck International Film Festival Names Katie Camosy Recipient of 2026 Emerging Filmmaker Activist Award for "Gaslit"
(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) and The Puffin Foundation have selected director Katie Camosy as the recipient of the 2nd Annual Emerging Filmmaker Activist Award for her documentary Gaslit. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize and trophy and recognizes emerging filmmakers whose work embodies TIFF's guiding theme, "Activism: Making Change."
James R. Halsey Foundation Student Film Showcase to Take Place November 12th
(TRENTON, NJ) -- The James R. Halsey Foundation of the Arts (JRH), a 501c3 non-profit agency dedicated to providing quality arts education and mentoring to youth in the City of Trenton and greater New Jersey area presents the 2026 Student Film Showcase. Taking place on November 12th at the New Jersey State Museum Auditorium from 5:00pm - 8:00pm, this event features three films, written, directed, and produced by students, as well as a documentary focused on raising awareness on men's mental health, featuring authentic student voices and professional interviews.
Count Basie Center for the Arts to Celebrate Centennial with an immersive re-enactment of its opening night
(RED BANK, NJ) -- Count Basie Center for the Arts will cap its Centennial Celebration with an immersive re-enactment of its opening night on Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 6:00pm. Patrons can expect an immersive theatrical presentation from the moment they approach the venue – from 'stars' of the era arriving in classic cars, Gatsby-esque fashion and flair, an authentic speakeasy experience with custom, era-specific cocktails and mocktails, 1920s hot jazz and more.
Learn about producing films with "Producing 101: From Script to Set with The Gig Media"
(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Interested in filmmaking? You can learn how to produce a film like a pro at "Producing 101: From Script to Set with The Gig Media" on Saturday, November 14, 2026 at Miraley Studios in Jersey City.
The Clairidge hosts Indie Film Showcase on November 21st
(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- On Saturday, November 21, 2026, The Clairidge hosts a film showcase featuring three indie films - Wedding Night, Lady in the Mirror, and End of the Line: Brotherhood. Dive into three epic tales, one screen, and endless vibes at The Official Film Showcase. Showtime is 1:30pm.
