Could Sniper sneak up in two-horse Oscar race?

Los Angeles

WITH only a week to go before the Oscars, the all-important Best Picture prize appears locked in a two-horse race between dark comedy Birdman and coming-of-age drama Boyhood. But as Hollywood counts down the days to next Sunday's show, some are suggesting that controversial blockbuster American Sniper could yet surprise, and best the two indie films.

"Boyhood and Birdman are the frontrunners, and American Sniper is the dark horse," Matthew Belloni, executive editor of industry journal The Hollywood Reporter, told AFP.