15 Average Oscar Bait Films Elevated By Amazing Performances

A biopic of Chris Kyle, a famous sniper who was active in the Iraq War, American Sniper is alright but it doesn't tackle the complex subject of the Iraq War with nearly as much insight as it should've done and is ultimately just a well-done but forgettable war drama. As such, it's one of the less essential Best Picture nominees of this decade and the thing which gives it the most power is Bradley Cooper's leading performance.

Thanks to the lack of emotion in much of the script, it falls to Cooper to give the film its drama and he does that with ease, making him miles better than anything else in the film.

Cooper is a very, very fine actor at his best and this turn as Chris Kyle was easily one of his greatest performances. Admittedly, the film does gloss over several controversies about the real man but that was the script's doing, not Cooper's. Cooper gives an extremely moving and nuanced performance that shows PTSD in a very believable, sensitive manner and ensures that viewers will be rooting for Kyle from beginning to end.