Failed Oscar Campaigns: "American Sniper" (2014)

Scene from American Sniper

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

The Movie

American Sniper (2014)

Directed By: Clint Eastwood

Written By: Jason Hall (Screenplay), Chris Kyle & Scott McEwen & Jim DeFelice (Book)

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner

Genre: Action, Biography, Drama

Running Time 133 minutes

Summary: Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home to his wife and kids after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.

The Movie

There are few cinematic icons as ubiquitous as the medium as Clint Eastwood. With a career going back to westerns like The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly and the TV series Rawhide, he's one of the last working vestiges of a bygone era and thus embodies a certain kind of filmmaker. This can be said for his latest film The Mule, in which he stars as a drug mule. With the film earning critical praise, including some of his best in over a decade, it only felt right to look back at the last major release that he's had. It has only been four years since American Sniper hit theaters, but it has become one of the most successful, divisive pieces of American cinema that the director has ever produced. Considering that The Mule marks his second collaboration with actor Bradley Cooper, it makes sense to look back at the film and explore what made it such a lightning rod for controversy, including earning its subject a national holiday (Chris Kyle Day, February 2). 

In some ways American Sniper was always doomed to controversy with the political divide between those who do and don't support the military. The Iraq War that Kyle was associated with remains one of the most notorious wars in American history. It could explain why most of the films made about the subject, known often as "The War on Terror," haven't been runaway successes financially. Films like Zero Dark Thirty court controversy because they embody a side of America that is ugly and cruel. To make matters worse, the real life Kyle was himself a figure of notoriety thanks to his explicit racism. He was more than the self-proclaimed deadliest sniper in America. To a certain audience he embodied what was wrong with the "America first" mentality while others thought that because of his service he was a true patriot. The answer lies somewhere in between, but the film only amplified the hostility between both sides in attempting to find that answer.

While the attention given to American Sniper has died down a little, it does have a lot going for it that will keep it in the conversation. For starters, it is the highest grossing war film of all time as well as for Eastwood as a director. With that in mind, it's one of the few films that has dealt with the War on Terror to get more than a blip in the long term conversation. What's more astonishing is because of how much conversation it garnered, it lead to a rather astounding turn with the Oscars, making it the latest in a small class of contemporary war cinema to get so much as nominated. For better or worse, it symbolizes what war cinema in the modern age has come to represent both on screen and in the conversation. Is it the best? Maybe not. However, it has done one thing that important cinema can only do: cause a conversation.

- The Campaign -

The film had a fairly ceremonious debut at the box office. While it didn't open in wide release until January 2015, its December 2014 Christmas Day release ended up being a success, becoming the highest grossing film on 10 screens. Considering that the campaign up to that point included an intense trailer where Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) was seen sniping a potential child holding a bomb, it created the sense that this was an important film. After all, Eastwood was a director known for December surprises, previously leading late comer Million Dollar Baby to a Best Picture win with that strategy. There was an aura to him that came with the box office success that carried over to its late January wide release. When it came out on January 16, it grossed over $106 million on its first weekend. This was the highest January gross for a film, beating out the record held by Avatar from only five years prior. With its track record firmly in place and a conversation to come, the film would end up grossing $547.4 million internationally, becoming Eastwood's most successful film as a director. 

But that was only the beginning of things. It was more than another Oscar season contender. It was a film that addressed the War on Terror in a manner that would divide audiences and critics. Many disapproved of its depiction of pro-militarism and how Kyle was seen a hero despite murdering people. This kernel of opinion would lead to the divide against people who were adamantly in love with the film. Among the most famous critics was Michael Moore, who suggested on Twitter that snipers were "cowards." Another case was Seth Rogen, who suggested that the film reminded him of a segment of Inglourious Basterds where the audience is watching a Nazi sniper film. It was seen as a disapproval of the film that lead to major backlash. Rogen later tried to admit that he liked the film and that "remembering" wasn't the same as being the same thing. Still, that didn't stop the owner of Brann's Steakhouse and Grille in Grand Rapids, MI from banning him:

This lead to the belief that there was an anti-American Sniper campaign forming towards the film. Many saw it as a film that the Hollywood elites would overlook come awards time. After all, if Rogen and Moore were dismissing the film, surely it was a reflection of the community at large. One side saw it as embracing a killer, the other saw him as a patriot. How could they possibly come to an agreement on the quality of the film? Many, including former senator John McCain, felt that the film was a great depiction of a war hero who was suffering from PTSD. As much as it was about war, Eastwood would suggest that he was exploring the effects that war had on a person. Cooper, who bulked up for the role, also tried to sell the film on this belief.It was all a way to get a whisper campaign started, and it worked.

Suddenly the legacy of Chris Kyle was up for debate by anyone who had seen the film. His widow, Taya Kyle, would be interviewed for the film as well as invited to comment on contemporary events. This would go on to include such things as the divisive Colin Kaepernick kneeling incident. Suddenly the film was about more than the man. For those who found him a patriot, he would get a holiday commemorating his achievements. Chris Kyle Day was to fall on his birthday, February 2. Ironically, even his trial was muddled by the film. Despite the film coming out after Kyle's death, the court decided to included it when discussing the notorious figure. For further information, you can read it here. Even the man's legacy as the deadliest sniper would be brought into question, as it was a rumor lead by Kyle. Suddenly a man that many hadn't thought of was now more popular than ever in death.

Among the few criticisms that weren't obviously about Kyle's muddled life was one of the technical aspects of the film. Many liked Cooper's portrayal of Kyle, but the character that stole some conversation wasn't actually real. When Kyle comes home to his infant child many noticed that it was a fake doll. This lead to some ridicule and one of the best fake Oscar campaigns of the season: 

Much like Cooper's work in Silver Linings Playbook before and A Star is Born later, he knew how to gain attention for his work. While the film wasn't necessarily the most prestigious film of the season, it hadn't been sweeping any major awards, it was the most popular film of the season. It was even the most pirated film of the Oscar Best Picture nominees. There was a lot of interest in whatever the film had to say, regardless on if someone agreed with what was being said. It was the conservative film that could for 2014 and the controversy only helped to keep it recognized in ways that the others couldn't.

- The Payoff -

As far as controversial films would go, it was far more successful than War on Terror films of the past. It not only earned a Best Picture nomination, but it would receive five additional nominations, including Best Actor for Bradley Cooper. It was his third consecutive year of being nominated in the category. It was also his first of being nominated as producer for Best Picture. Beyond that, the film was mostly nominated in technical fields and received one for Best Adapted Screenplay. Suddenly the film that many thought would be overlooked for not being about safe subjects was being presented as a potential threat. Of course, it was several rungs down from what was actually leading, notably Birdman and The Revenant, that dominated awards season. The film's sole Oscar win would be for Best Sound Editing. 

There's a good chance that since Eastwood is 88 years old that this is one of his last big breaks in Hollywood. Considering that he released two films in 2018, there's no sign of him slowing down. However, American Sniper remains an anomaly in his career as a big success as well as film that did more than spawn a conversation. It changed the course of history in ways that few films could. Maybe it's not the greatest film on the subject, but it's one that struck a nerve with audiences. It had a power that few could deny. The fact that a director of his age could produce something that provocative was a testament to his capabilities, whether good or bad. It's not likely that The Mule will come close to topping it. He probably will never. Still, he is a director who has done more than enough to prove his significance to Hollywood over the decades, and it makes sense that one of his last shining efforts would cause a stir.