Disappointed with Eastwood specifically. I thought it was well done and did not see anything a director could have done better.
Ah I see. I distinctly remember while watching the film that some elements of it came across as quite amateurish. I wondered at the time if it had anything to do with where the film was shot as my mind went into comparison mode and I got thinking about scenes from the Hurt Locker. Anyway, did a bit of quick research now...
Amercian Sniper (Info from wiki) - Filming
Principal photography began on March 31, 2014 in Los Angeles; it was also shot in Morocc
n April 23, the Los Angeles Times reported that ten days of filming set in an Afghan village was set to begin at the Blue Cloud Movie Ranch in the Santa Clarita area. On May 7, shooting of the film was spotted around El Centro; a milk factory was used as the abandoned date factory which insurgents close in on from all directions at the climax of the film.Later on May 14, Cooper was spotted filming some scenes in Culver City, California, and then he followed by shooting scenes again in Los Angeles on May 16.On May 30, Cooper and Miller were spotted during the filming of their characters' wedding scenes; they were filming aboard a yacht in Marina del Rey. On June 3, Cooper was spotted in the uniform of a Navy SEAL marksman aiming during the filming of some scenes at a Los Angeles shooting range.
The Hurt Locker - Filming
The film was shot in Jordan, within miles of the Iraqi border, to achieve Bigelow's goal of authenticity. Iraqi refugees were used for extras and the cast worked in the unmistakable heat of the Middle East. The filmmakers had scouted for locations in Morocco, but director Kathryn Bigelow felt its cities did not resemble Baghdad. In addition, she wanted to get as close to the war zone as possible. Some of the locations were less than three miles from the Iraq border. She had wanted to shoot in Iraq, but the production security team could not guarantee their safety from snipers.
Principal photography began in July 2007 in Jordan and Kuwait. Temperatures averaged 120 °F (49 °C) over the 44 days of shooting.Often four or more camera crews filmed simultaneously, which resulted in nearly 200 hours of footage.The producer Greg Shapiro spoke about security concerns of filming in Jordan, "It was interesting telling people we were going to make the movie in Jordan because the first question everybody asked was about the security situation here."
Her choice to film in the Kingdom met some resistance. In discussion, Bigelow found that her cast and crew shared stereotypes of the region from American culture. “Sadly people in America and Los Angeles have these perceptions,” she said. “But once you get off the plane you realise it's like Manhattan without the trees,” she continued. As Iraq dominates discourse in America and across the world, Bigelow believes filmmakers will continue to explore the conflict, making Jordan the natural place to film.
I think certainly for me the location ie Morocco v Jordon is probably what made the film feel amateurish for me. I'll stop here for now....
Nevertheless a good film.
Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa, Kurenai no Buta and Mimi wo Sumaseba.
