Walking around the halls of Howell High, one would be hard pressed to find a person who has not seen the movie that has swept the nation this past month, American Sniper.

The true story stars Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, a US Navy SEAL sniper who is the deadliest sniper in American military history, with 160 confirmed kills.

The movie is already the highest grossing war movie in North America, and also received Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Cooper.

Personally, I thought the movie was interesting and entertaining. It did a wonderful job portraying the difficulties for Kyle personally, such as the guilt he faces for the soldiers he couldn’t save, when he was forced to shoot a small boy, and his relationship with his family while he was on his four tours of duty.

I really enjoyed the acting of Sienna Miller, who played Kyle’s wife, Taya. I think she did a good job showing the stress that a military spouse has to go through, and she seemed to compliment Cooper’s performance very well.

The movie shows many different aspects of life during war, such as SEAL training and the death of a comrade. The most depressing part was the depiction of life after the war and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) because it showed how military service can sometimes mentally devastate our soldiers who protect us.

The real footage at the end is the most touching part of the movie. It shows the funeral procession and memorial for Kyle after he was murdered at a shooting range by a veteran he was trying to help. When I saw the movie, the theater erupted in applause and I left with an overwhelming feeling of patriotism.

Even with all of the upsides and accolades, I think American Sniper had an amount of hype around it that would be impossible for any movie to live up to. I do think the first half hour or so that showed his childhood and his time as a cowboy was almost unnecessary.

Overall, I give this movie 8/10. I think the script was well-written, the casting was done well, and those two things combined to bring a lot of emotion and entertainment to the screen.