Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” is based on the real story of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in U.S. history. Many say it is nothing more than the glorification of a murderer. They claim he is not the American hero that the film would have you believe, but that he was a bloodthirsty soldier, only killing for sport. The film has also been attacked by critics saying they found it disturbing the Iraqis in the film were only portrayed as evil men and women with a bloodlust for Americans, earning their place between Kyle’s crosshairs.
Most critics seem to agree this movie is well made and does a good job showing the things Kyle had to endure while fighting for his country overseas and how it affected him while he was with his family back home. Critic Peter Canavese from Groucho Reviews said the movie “gets mired in military hero worship.” Damien Straker from Impulse Gamer calls it “a deceitful eulogy of a far more complicated man.”
It also hasn’t helped the movie’s case that in Kyle’s autobiography, a source used for the screenplay, he referred to the Iraqis as “savages” and made questionable statements. “My only regret is that I didn’t kill more,” Kyle wrote in his autobiography.
A lot of celebrities have come out to share how they feel about the movie as well. Director Michael Moore, who grew up with a veteran dad, tweeted “We were taught that snipers were cowards. Will shoot you in the back. Snipers aren’t heroes. And invaders are worse.” Seth Rogen claimed the movie reminded him of a scene from “Inglourious Basterds” in which a movie about a famous sniper was used as Nazi propaganda.
Sarah Palin defended the movie, stating “Hollywood Leftists: while caressing shiny plastic trophies you exchange among one another while spitting on the graves of freedom fighters who allow you to do what you do, just realize the rest of America knows you’re not fit to shine Chris Kyle’s boots.” Rogen and Moore were attacked on Twitter, some users calling them both ungrateful for the sacrifices Kyle and other American troops have made for them. Rogen and Moore tweeted back, apologizing and saying they both liked the movie and it was a misunderstanding.
The most important praise came from Kyle’s family, who, after his death, are taking the movie very personally, saying Cooper embodied Kyle’s look and mannerism to the point they “had to do a double take” because they were so similar.
Whatever political views a person has going into this movie will affect how he or she feels about it. A conservative will likely defend what Chris Kyle did for his country and state his actions were justified. Liberals might find it hard to support his motives and may claim his praise isn’t as well earned as some would have them believe. This film is very polarizing: one either loves the movie and Chris Kyle, or hates it and despises him.
I found myself in the middle. A man like Chris Kyle deserves for his story to be told. He saved a lot of American soldiers’ lives and ultimately gave his own by being over there, and that should earn him the title of an American hero. The film shows how his career as a sniper affects his life, hurts his relationship with his wife and kids and makes him slowly draw into himself and away from the people he loves. No matter what he does, his life will never be the same because of his actions. But I can also see where many people find it hard to get behind this movie. Chris Kyle was a controversial man, so it only makes sense this would be a controversial movie. He was a man who loved his country deeply and felt the need to defend it — at whatever cost. One of the main problems with the movie is, even though he suffered from PTSD, it seemed as if it was only because he couldn’t save more of his men. Even though he has to kill a small child in the beginning of the film, he never seemed to show a lot of remorse for all the deaths he caused. The movie did a poor job painting the Iraqis as little more than bloodthirsty killers, making it seem like he had no other choice but to kill them. In his real life, he most likely had to view them in that way in order to do his job.
The real problem with the movie lies with the director. Clint Eastwood has never had a problem stating what he believes in and what he stands for, and it shows in this movie. He very much believes that whatever Kyle did in Iraq was the right thing to do and that he was a hero. It’s great for a director to believe this strongly in his subject and have a firm stance on what his movie should be. But in his movie there is never a sense of doubt that Kyle wonders if what he is doing is the right thing. Eastwood shows a coldness toward Kyle’s targets. Many viewers find it disturbing as Kyle picks them off one by one, never acting like he regrets much of it. Eastwood tailor-made the movie for people that believe in the subject as strongly as he does, leaving little room for those that might disagree with him.
