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Reel Critics: ‘American Sniper’ right on target

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In Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning film “Unforgiven,” he caused the harsh light of day to shine on Hollywood’s romantic notions of the Old West.

In “American Sniper,” he shines a severe spotlight on our ongoing wars in the Middle East by focusing on the true story of a single soldier who suffers through four grueling tours of duty in Iraq.

Bradley Cooper gives an Oscar-quality performance as Chris Kyle, a legendary Navy Seal. He is credited with more confirmed kills (160) than any other sniper in U.S. history. Based on Kyle’s autobiography, Eastwood brings a thoughtful cinematic approach to a complex life.

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Of course, this film is full of very intense action scenes. Kyle is forced to make relentless life-and-death decisions. But Eastwood also provides insightful flashbacks to his formative years. He shows the effects of Kyle’s deployments on his family life between tours.

Although PTSD is never mentioned by name, the film is a course study in the aftermath of long exposure to infantry combat. Eastwood and Cooper deftly place the moral ambiguity of modern warfare front and center for our inspection and reflection.

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The criminal mischief of computer hackers is a feature of many recent headlines. “Blackhat” focuses on the highest level of these fraud artists who throw cyber grenades into the business and personal lives of their victims.

Director Michael Mann made his bones in tense action films like “Thief,” “Manhunter” and “Collateral,” and the cinematography and production values are first-rate. But in “Blackhat,” the intermittent violence hits way too many slow patches in two hours and 13 minutes of running time. Never mind that the Jason Bourne-style action seems out of place in the usually quiet work life of Internet hackers.

It’s also hard to believe the very buff Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) in the role a computer geek. He plays a convicted hacker pulled out of prison to help the U.S. and Chinese governments chase down a cyber version of Bernie Madoff. The complex international intrigue starts out plausibly. But the slick beginning turns silly and far-fetched long before the end game comes into view.

JOHN DEPKO is a retired senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office. He lives in Costa Mesa and works as a licensed private investigator.

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