‘American Sniper’ Blu-ray Review: One of 2014’s Best Films Available in High Def

One of the most striking, memorable, and talked about films of 2014 has finally come to Blu-ray. Director Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper dominated the box office, earning over $543 million worldwide, and received much praise from both critics and mainstream audiences. The film also received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor, and had one win for Best Sound Editing.

American Sniper is one of the best and most truthful films about war in the past decade, and maybe ever. It follows the story of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. The film focuses on the American hero’s skills with a rifle while on tours and also on his home life with his wife Taya (Sienna Miller) and their two young children. After seeing the film three times now, it only gets better and better with each viewing.

The picture and audio quality of the Blu-ray are outstanding. Between the touching scenes where Chris is at home with his family to the chilling moments when he is in Iraq, the picture is gorgeous in high definition and the audio is crystal clear. If you ended up missing the film in theatres, the Blu-ray is the ideal option to watch Chris Kyle’s story.

The Blu-ray includes a couple of special features, including a half-hour featurette titled, “One Soldier’s Story: The Journey of American Sniper,” which features interviews with the stars Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, director Clint Eastwood, Chris Kyle’s widow Taya Kyle, producers Andrew Lazar, Peter Morgan, and Rob Lorenz, screenwriter Jason Hall, Senior Military Technical Advisor James D. Dever, and Navy SEAL Kevin Lacz. Hall recollects his first time meeting Chris Kyle on a Texas ranch, instantly intrigued by him and the desire to transform his story onto the big screen. Cooper discusses the honor of portraying Chris Kyle and working with Taya on getting to know her late husband and their life together.

The other feature is a half-hour special on “The Making of American Sniper.” It’s a wonderful in-depth look at the filmmaking and behind the scenes of the film. It includes several interviews with the cast and crew, critics’s reactions to the film, and clips of a Q&A with Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Taya Kyle, Clint Eastwood, and Jason Hall.

One dollar of every American Sniper Blu-ray purchase will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. American Sniper can be picked up at local retailers including Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy as well as on Amazon.com.