When I went to see American Sniper (2014) last week, the showing was sold out and the theater was packed. I have watched movies under such crowded conditions in the past and generally find them uncomfortable. Full movie theaters simply do not have the requisite “empty space.” Once the previews ended and the film began, I never thought about the crowded theater again. From what I could gather, the rest of the audience had the same experience. American Sniper enthralled us.
Bradley Cooper is superb as Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL sniper who saw himself as a “sheepdog,” protecting American troops from their enemies. (Familiar with his other, more comedic roles, it is not difficult to see why there is Oscar buzz surrounding his efforts.) As the movie ended with live footage from Kyle’s funeral procession, the audience drifted into a spontaneous silence. We exited the crowded theater in an extended, unplanned silence of honor and respect, but also laden with grief, and tinged with a bit of anger towards the troubled veteran who murdered Kyle even as Kyle sought to help him overcome PTSD.
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