The winning combination of powerhouse actor Bradley Cooper (“Silver Linings Playbook”) and famed director Clint Eastwood (“Million Dollar Baby”), makes for the fantastic retelling of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle’s story in “American Sniper.”

Cooper wonderfully portrays Kyle in the true story of this average American’s transformation from a Bronco rider in Texas to one of the world’s deadliest snipers.

Cooper’s performance holds this film together very well, depicting a soldier who is believably tough during action sequences while remaining a charismatic man throughout. Playing Kyle may indeed be Cooper’s toughest role to date.

A solid addition to the film is Sienna Miller’s portrayal of Kyle’s wife Taya, who balances out the movie’s action with a strong family theme.

This theme becomes more evident as Kyle struggles with his duty to his family and his duty to his fellow soldiers in Iraq.

Eastwood shows a painstaking amount of work and heart in this film, painting a main character that helps the audience to see the real Kyle and truly care about what’s going on in his life.

Unfortunately this cannot be said about the supporting characters, who seem lightly sketched and hollow. This leads to a few scenes that feel unneeded, mainly because of the audience’s apathy for these side roles.

Aside from this negative factor the action scenes are incredibly well choreographed and succeed in maintaining a feeling of tension and urgency despite their noticeable length in some areas of the film.

Not since 2012’s “Zero Dark Thirty” has there been a war film with so much suspense and intensity.

The stunningly well-done cinematography sets bright lighting against a dusty Iraq backdrop. Many of the close-up shots propel the film’s action, creating a much-needed sense of pressure.

“American Sniper” is definitely one of the best films of 2014 and should be seen by all.