Reel-View Ratings: The Bigger The Beard, The Better The Movie

on January 12, 2015 at 11:09 am

AMERICAN SNIPER

Chris Kyle is the (self-proclaimed) deadliest sniper in U.S. military history, with 160 confirmed kills in the Iraq War — and many more by his own estimation. Director Clint Eastwood grimly hammers out a minimalist biopic based on Kyle’s memoir. The sniper (played with muscled, steely intensity by Bradley Cooper, sans his usual roguish charm) is only ever comfortable with a rifle in his hand, vigilant in his watch over his fellow soldiers. The film sets him up as a lone wolf against the conniving Iraqi masses, forgoing a deeper investigation of the moral ambiguity of the man pulling the trigger for the rousing, cinematic transformation of a hero. (R)

Opens Jan. 16 at Kahala Theatre

HIGHWAY

On her wedding day, beautiful, wealthy Veera is kidnapped by the desperate Mahabir, who decides to ransom her out of spite for the ruling classes that have kept him in poverty — and then they fall in love. This case of Stockholm syndrome may repulse some audiences, but the film does its best to demonstrate how this very, very unlikely romance comes to be. Everyone, including the couple, knows that this love affair can only end badly, so the movie’s central road trip dithers through India, prolonging the relationship at the expense of pacing. Still, by the end, the viewer, like Veera, may find themselves inexplicably charmed. (Unrated)

Plays 12:30 p.m. Jan. 14 and 28 at Doris Duke Theatre

THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY

Chester and Colette MacFarland, a couple on holiday in 1960s Greece, meet con-man-posing-as-a-tour-guide Rydal, only the swindle you expect to happen gets reversed when Rydal is suddenly stuck helping Chester cover up a murder. There’s a love triangle (of course there’s a love triangle) and a Freudian rivalry (of course there are daddy issues), and things get ugly (of course they do). The story dawdles as it searches around for the dramatic tension necessary to sustain the claustrophobic threesome, and it never quite finds it. At least Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst sparkle in their crisp white hats amidst the postcard-perfect Grecian backdrop. (PG-13)