"American Sniper" tells the tale of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who has 160 confirmed kills and is known as "the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history."  It's a tense and enjoyable film if you only know the broadest strokes of Kyle's life, but if you've done any research, the inconsistencies will jump out.

The movie is based on Kyle's memoir of the same name, but perhaps "inspired by" would've been more accurate.  There are major timeline issues, and events are conflated.  For instance, there's a sniper rivalry subplot in the film that's completely fictional.  Yes, the gunman existed, and yes, Kyle has logged the longest recorded sniper shot, but these two items were merged into one — perhaps for dramatic flair. Yesterday morning, "American Sniper" received an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay, and my first thought was that the competition must not have been very strong.

The opening scene jumps right into the action. Kyle (Bradley Cooper) is manning a sniper rifle on a rooftop in Nasiriya, Iraq, and a young boy and woman wander into the deserted street. The boy brandishes what looks like a grenade and makes a motion to throw it at an American tank. Kyle has mere moments to make a decision.  If he's right, he'll save his brothers in arms.  If he's wrong, he'll have killed a child.

The film jumps back and forth between Kyle's time in the military and key moments in his life.  It's done well and helps to illustrate his many dimensions as a joker, a cowboy, a patriot, a friend, a husband, and a father. 

For a guy from Philadelphia, Cooper does an admirable job of evoking a believable Texas drawl.  The acting is spot-on, especially when he tries to adjust to family life between military engagements.  Cooper gained over 40 pounds to match Kyle's weight and get into the right mindset to play the character, but he doesn't carry the weight well and looks fat instead of muscular.  In one scene, he's standing at the back of a military briefing in his uniform and gear, and his stomach looks more like a keg than a six-pack. The beard doesn't help him look any skinnier.  Cooper could've done this role without bulking up.

British actress Sienna Miller is almost unrecognizable as wife Taya Kyle. Miller is a brunette for the role and sports a believable American accent. There are very few serious acting gigs in her filmography, but this is the strongest dramatic performance we've seen from her yet.  There's a bevy of additional actors, but none of them have enough screen time to make a lasting impression.

For all of the strong acting, it's a shame that some missteps mar the experience. Cooper and Miller are arguing about his redeployment while holding their infant daughter, but it's obvious that they're cradling a silent plastic doll. There may have been practical reasons for this, since their shouting match would've caused an actual baby to squeal at an equal volume, but this definitely detracted from what should've been a serious dramatic scene.

Director Clint Eastwood does a great job of framing suspenseful moments, and overall, the scenes are thoughtfully composed.  The only questionable choice is when the camera follows the final, slow-motion sniper shot to its target.  It's reminiscent of "The Matrix" and Sniper Elite, and it looks completely out of place.

The credits are quiet and somber as you see stock footage of Kyle's funeral procession, including people standing on the side of the highway and saluting on overpasses as the hearse passes by. It's enough to bring a tear to anyone's eye.

The missteps and inaccuracies weaken the presentation, but when it sticks to the facts, "American Sniper" is tinged with tragedy:  A soldier manages to survive four tours of duty only to be killed in civilian life. Eastwood deftly weaves in commentary about the toll of war on soldiers and their families, stopping just short of politicizing Kyle's life.

Score: 7.0/10

American Sniper is rated "R" and has a running time of 2 hours and 12 minutes. It is showing in 2-D.