Watch the gripping first trailer for Clint Eastwood's American Sniper

Oscar season has officially begun, and Warner Bros. has finally released a glimpse of one of this year's major contenders: Clint Eastwood's American Sniper. Bradley Cooper stars as Chris Kyle, the real-life Navy SEAL who wrote the memoir of the same name.

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The trailer offers a brief, gripping glimpse into the mind of a sniper, which requires brutal snap judgment in life-or-death situations. "They fry you if you're wrong," warns a fellow Navy SEAL as Cooper decides whether or not he'll take a shot at a woman and a child.

American Sniper will open in limited theaters on December 25 before a wider release on January 16.

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