[Originally posted on 12.28.14]: “In my 80% positive 11.12 review of Clint Eastwood‘s American Sniper I mentioned a scene that I found hugely irritating. And still do, having seen the film twice now.
“It’s an Act Two scene in which Bradley Cooper‘s Chris Kyle is suddenly caught in a Iraqi firefight while speaking to his stateside wife Taya, played by Sienna Miller. She’s naturally startled, and as the battle quickly intensifies she gets more and more alarmed and as she cries out to Cooper, asking him what’s going on and is he okay and so on (“Baby? Baby?”).
“As soon Miller said those words, I literally slapped my forehead with my right palm. Miller knows, of course, that Cooper is in a combat zone and that firefights are part of the basic drill. Is she hoping he’ll put down his weapon and say, “Hi, baby…yeah, yeah, I know…they’re shooting at us now…but don’t worry! Anyway, I can’t really talk right now, okay? I might get, you know, killed if I don’t defend myself so if it’s cool I’ll call you back later. I’ll be okay, sweetheart. I just have to put the phone down and focus on killing the enemy. You understand, right? It’s not that I don’t love you or don’t want to talk to you. It’s just now is not the best time to talk…okay?”