When I put "American Sniper," starring Bradley Cooper and directed by Clint Eastwood, on my must-see list, I had no idea the Iraq War movie would become controversial because of the sniper’s many killings. But it has. What I saw was a terrific picture that was intense, powerful and emotional. It was a film with such impact that after the final scene, the people in the audience remained totally silent, even as they streamed out of the theater. Cooper and Eastwood are two of the best when it comes to films. "Sniper" and Cooper received Oscar nominations, but Eastwood did not, a disappointment. Perhaps it was because the Iraq War has left such a bad taste in many Americans’ mouths.

"Sniper" is about the best American sniper in the war, Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who did his job very well. He was credited with 160 kills. He fired from rooftops and windows, mostly protecting U.S. Marines who were moving through towns. He also took heavy fire. Kyle kept returning to Iraq, serving four deployments, despite objections from his wife, Taya, played by Sienna Miller, who was home in Texas with their children. We see him phoning his wife even while he is in action. On his fourth tour he called her and said he was coming home for good.

Kyle’s book of the same name was made into the movie. Cooper did everything he could to "become" Kyle. He gained 40 pounds of muscle, up to 215 pounds, learned a Texas accent, talked with Kyle’s wife and his father, mother and brother, and trained with two SEALs, one who had served with Kyle. It all contributed to his exceptional performance. He was awesome and a best-actor Oscar would be well deserved.

Spoiler alert: After Kyle returned home for good, he worked with vets who had been impaired physically and mentally. In February 2013, Kyle, 38, and another man were shot to death on a Texas firing range by an ex-Marine with post-traumatic stress disorder. Near the end of the picture, Eastwood has an upbeat Kyle happily saying goodbye to his family as he leaves for the range. Then titles run across the screen noting his tragic death. A funeral procession and a memorial service at Cowboy Stadium are shown, the film ends and everyone in the theater falls silent …

ONWARD: While I was seated in Neiman Marcus’s Espresso Bar the other day, Jim Nabors and Stan Cadwallader walked by. They came over to my table to say hello after they saw me. Jim was walking gingerly. "I have fractures in my feet," he said. "Can’t dance?" I asked. To prove he could still cut a rug, or at least ruffle it a bit, he did a bit of a shuffle. He then asked how I was. I told him I recently turned 83 and have a bad knee. "Oh, I’ve got a new one," he said, "and I’ve got you by one: I’m 84." He then mentioned a string of body parts he has had replaced or repaired and told a joke about such activity. Jim is a great guy who will never lose his sense of humor …

NEWS FLASHES: Randy Cadi­ente spent 42 years writing stories, headlines and designing pages for the Hono­lulu Star-Bulletin and Star-Advertiser before calling it a career Dec. 30. Thirty-six of those years were in the papers’ sports departments. (He was a multisport star at Farrington.) The last six years were spent designing pages for the business section … Lorenzo Trinidad, son of the late Star-Bulletin cartoonist Corky Trinidad, married Wendi Taku­shi on Sunday at Eleven44 on Bethel Street. Lorenzo is newsroom office manager for the Star-Advertiser and a comic book artist …

Ben Wood, who sold newspapers on Honolulu streets in World War II, writes of people, places and things. Email him at bwood@staradvertiser.com.