Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

American Sniper Blu-ray Movie Review

The Other War (cont.)

Reviewed by Michael Reuben May 2, 2016

While the catalog division of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment has abandoned the practice of reissuing the same Blu-ray with new packaging or a few more special features, the theatrical group continues to indulge in double-dipping. The latest example is a two-disc re-release of director Clint Eastwood's hit, American Sniper. Subtitled "The Chris Kyle Commemorative Edition", the set offers the exact same disc released by WBHE in 2015 (and reviewed here), plus a second disc of extras, including the film's trailer. However, the Commemorative Edition does not come with the digital copy that accompanied the original disc. New purchasers will have to decide where their priorities lie.

American Sniper was a huge box office success, but it remains a divisive film, in part because Eastwood's coolly observational approach leaves so much room for the viewer to project his or her preexisting views onto the story. Rather than wade into that debate, I will simply refer the reader to the previous review of American Sniper by my colleague Martin Liebman, with whose evaluation of the film I largely concur. The scores attached to this review have been copied from Marty's prior writeup, with the exception of the "Extras" score.

American Sniper Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a video evaluation, please refer to Martin Liebman's review.

American Sniper Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As described in the previous review, American Sniper's aggressively immersive soundtrack is reference quality in the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 presentation to which the Blu-ray defaults in the absence of Dolby Atmos decoding. Now that the we have upgraded our systems to the latest formats, I can happily report that the experience is even better in Atmos (depending, of course, on one's individual speaker configuration). The precision with which the object-based Atmos encoding places sound effects in a 360-degree field is astonishing. In the early training scene on a military firing range, each weapons discharge and bullet hit registers authoritatively. In later scenes, the listener is plunged into the chaos of battle, with yelling, gunfire, explosions and bullet impacts all around. Military helicopters fly overhead and through the back channels. Quieter scenes are accompanied by subtle ambiance that enhances without distracting. American Sniper's sound design is a master class in the creative use of audio to extend the cinematic experience beyond the screen.

American Sniper Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The same extras previously reviewed appear on the main disc. As befits the title of this Commemorative Edition, the new extras on the second disc focus on Chris Kyle and the military rather than the making of American Sniper:

• Chris Kyle: The Man Behind the Legend (1080p; 1.78:1; 30:24): Narrated by Bradley Cooper, this biographical portrait of Kyle draws on a wide array of interviewees, including Jim DeFelice (co-author of Kyle's autobiography); Kyle's brother, Jeff; his widow, Taya; Marcus Luttrell, author of Lone Survivor (played by Mark Wahlberg in the film of the same name); and members of the military who served with Kyle. The presentation is enhanced by numerous photos and personal videos.



• Navy SEALS: In War and Peace (1080p; 1.78:1; 29:51): Also narrated by Bradley Cooper, this featurette describes the history and ethos of Navy SEALS. The same group of veterans who appear in "The Man Behind the Legend" recall their experiences of the grueling training regimen, which is vividly portrayed in American Sniper. Several are former BUD/S instructors (for "Basic Underwater Training/SEAL"). The participants also offer frank assessments of the challenges of reconciling SEAL service with family life; several wives contribute their insight, including Taya Kyle.



• Bringing the War Home: The Cost of Heroism (1080p; 1.78:1; 20:42): This featurette previously appeared on the Best Buy-exclusive release of American Sniper. It examines the phenomenon of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ("PTSD"), with particular emphasis on factors peculiar to combat veterans who have experienced multiple deployments. Participants include Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Jack McDorman ("Biggles"), producer Andrew Lazar, screenwriter Jason Hall, Taya Kyle, Marilyn Flynn (Dean, USC School of Social Work), Albert "Skip" Rizzo (USC Institute for Creative Technologies), who uses virtual reality simulations to treat PTSD, and several veterans. Narration is provided by Clint Eastwood. Like American Sniper itself, this video essay offers a sobering examination of the psychological toll of combat, not only on the combatants themselves but also on their families. "When we come home", says veteran Jacob Schick, "we're not the only ones who suffer. We leave a very large wake in our path."



• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2.40:1; 2:22): This trailer was cut after the film's initial, limited release and features quotes from the many laudatory reviews.

Note that, while the new disc of extras has only English audio, it contains more subtitle options than the main feature: English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian, Spanish (both Latin and Castillian), traditional Mandarin, Korean, Portuguese, Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Thai. There is also a hidden Japanese subtitle track.

American Sniper Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A sticker on the front of the Chris Kyle Commemorative Edition states that one dollar of its purchase price will be donated to Kyle's Frog Foundation, the charity he established to benefit veterans. (The sticker also reveals that donations will be capped at $150,000, and that purchases in certain states do not qualify.) While this is a laudable gesture by WBHE, it isn't a compelling reason to purchase the Blu-ray. The Frog Foundation accepts donations directly through its website, which is easily found by an internet search. The Commemorative Edition of American Sniper is recommended only for those who want the second disc of extras and don't care about (or already have) the digital copy supplied with the original release but omitted here.