Clint Eastwood brings to the big screen his best movie since “Grand Torino” (2008) in this action-packed but sentimental war film.

The film focuses on the life of Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) a true patriot and the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history.

Growing up, Kyle’s father would bring him hunting and he quickly became proficient with a gun. His mental and physical toughness grew from his early years as a farmhand, but even then he was still searching for his path in life.

Because he was well-trained with a gun at such a young age, Kyle had a knack for killing living things and showed this during his four tours in Iraq.

In “American Sniper,” Eastwood and Cooper show Kyle as a protector from above for soldiers who are waging war in the most dangerous parts of Iraq. The film creates a portrait of a confident, passionate military man, which Cooper embodies brilliantly.

Cooper shows Kyle as a detailed, mistake-free killing machine who relishes every opportunity he gets to protect his country. On the battlefield he is in complete control, but at home he is always lost and clouded by thoughts of war.

Waiting at home for him during his four tours is his beautiful wife Taya (Sienna Miller) who struggles to cope with the thought of losing him overseas. Miller plays the military wife perfectly because you can feel her pain of missing her husband while she is at home with their two children and dealing with her emotionless husband when he returns from duty.

The film slowly turns to focus on the difficulties of PTSD, something Kyle had trouble with after returning home because he always obsessed over the soldiers he could not save.

The story evolves from the skilled shooter to the savior of wounded soldiers as Kyle visits veterans hospitals to cope with his need to save everybody.

The film ends in tragedy but Chris Kyle’s legacy lives on through Bradley Cooper’s fantastic portrayal and Clint Eastwood’s vision of a true American legend.