American Sniper

A confident yet thoughtful performance from a bulked-up Bradley Cooper is the solid centre of director Clint Eastwood's absorbingly matter-of-fact biopic of the most lethal sniper in US military history. Texas patriot Chris Kyle (Cooper) notched up 160 confirmed kills during four tours of Navy SEAL duty in post 9/11 Iraq and Eastwood succinctly charts his life through sharpshooting youth, riding rodeo, rigorous warrior training, marriage to a long-suffering wife (played by an impressive Sienna Miller) and becoming a reluctant hero/legend (as well as the prime target of insurgents). It's a cracking story laced with heart-stopping finger-on-trigger suspense outlining Kyle's battlefield precision and judgement calls on whether to kill men, women or children, and providing moving insights regarding the psychological effects of warfare on the home front. With the final haunting frames bound to surprise those unaware of Kyle's career, this is hard-nosed myth-making at its finest from a director at the top of his game.