American Sniper

[MikeK]

I would like to see it, but I gotta wait til it comes out on DVD. I dont do the movie thing.

I don't blame you, Gracie.

The reason being my recollection of "the movies" back in the '50s and '60s in New York includes such virtual palaces as the fabulous Fabian's Fox theater in Brooklyn. Fox Theatre in Brooklyn NY - Cinema Treasures

The ambience of this magnificent place was alone well worth the price of admission, which was sixty-five cents before 6PM, ninety-five cents after 6 and on weekends. The typical program was two full length current feature films, two "short subjects (documentaries, etc.), a newsreel, and a comedy or two. And entire afternoon or evening of entertainment for sixty-five cents.

The decor within this vastly spacious theater consisted of thick red velvet carpeting with polished brass trim, thick red velvet drapes hanging from ceiling height, broad red velvet carpeted marble staircases, and huge, magnificent hanging chandeliers.
There were three balcony levels with rest-room lounges on each level. In the basement lounge there were comfortable sofas, rest-rooms, and a bank of telephone booths with folding doors, lights, sound-treated walls, a seat -- for a nickel a call.

Compare this experience with that of today's average shoe-box movie "multi-plex" with hollow-sounding, uncarpeted wood floors, cramped seating, and noise from movies in the adjoining shoe-box "theaters." And one movie is what you get for a typical ten-dollar admission.

This is why I haven't been to a movie in almost fifty years and wouldn't go to one if it was free, which is a simple truth. .

the Fox was just one of many magnificent theaters in what I now regard as the old world of the movies." There were the New York (City) and the Brooklyn Paramount theaters. The Brooklyn RKO Albee and the Loew's [/i]Metropolitan," In New York City there was the fabulous Palace, and the biggest and most amazing of them all, the Radio City Music Hall, which has survived the ravages of time and continues to present a magnificent Christmas stage show with the Rockettes.

 

[Mr. H.]

The movie was meh.

I was more impressed with the closing screen commentary and images.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I like docudramas and I like historical movies but it irritates the hell outta me that they are very seldom accurate.

Is American Sniper historically accurate?

Clint Eastwood’s simplistic film about one of the deadliest snipers in US history piles on Bush-era propaganda and sharp-shoots the facts

Clint Eastwood’s movie slathers myths on top of Legend’s own legends. Audiences would be well advised to take American Sniper’s version of the war in Iraq with a very, very large pinch of salt.


AND


Here are seven lies about Chris Kyle and the story that director Clint Eastwood is telling:

1. The Film Suggests the Iraq War Was In Response To 9/11: One way to get audiences to unambiguously support Kyle's actions in the film is to believe he's there to avenge the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The movie cuts from Kyle watching footage of the attacks to him serving in Iraq, implying there is some link between the two.

2. The Film Invents a Terrorist Sniper Who Works For Multiple Opposing Factions: Kyle's primary antagonist in the film is a sniper named Mustafa. Mustafa is mentioned in a single paragraph in Kyle's book, but the movie blows him up into an ever-present figure and Syrian Olympic medal winner who fights for both Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and the Shia Madhi army.

3. The Film Portrays Chris Kyle as Tormented By His Actions: Multiple scenes in the movie portray Kyle as haunted by his service. One of the film's earliest reviews praised it for showing the “emotional torment of so many military men and women.” But that torment is completely absent from the book the film is based on. In the book, Kyle refers to everyone he fought as “savage, despicable” evil. He writes, “I only wish I had killed more.” He also writes, “I loved what I did. I still do. If circumstances were different – if my family didn't need me – I'd be back in a heartbeat. I'm not lying or exaggerating to say it was fun. I had the time of my life being a SEAL.” On an appearance on Conan O'Brien's show he laughs about accidentally shooting an Iraqi insurgent. He once told a military investigator that he doesn't “shoot people with Korans. I'd like to, but I don't.”

4. The Real Chris Kyle Made Up A Story About Killing Dozens of People In Post-Katrina New Orleans: Kyle claimed that he killed 30 people in the chaos of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a story Louisiana writer Jarvis DeBerry calls “preposterous." It shows the sort of mentality post-war Kyle had, but the claim doesn't appear in the film.

5. The Real Chris Kyle Fabricated A Story About Killing Two Men Who Tried To Carjack Him In Texas: Kyle told numerous people a story about killing two alleged carjackers in Texas. Reporters tried repeatedly to verify this claim, but no evidence of it exists.

6. Chris Kyle Was Successfully Sued For Lying About the Former Governor of Minnesota:Kyle alleged that former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura defamed Navy SEALs and got into a fight with him at a local bar. Ventura successfully sued Kyle for the passage in his book, and a jury awarded him $1.845 million.

7. Chris Kyle's Family Claimed He Donated His Book Proceeds To Veterans' Charity, But He Kept Most Of The Profits: The National Review debunks the claim that all proceeds of his book went to veterans' charities. Around 2 percent – $52,000 – went to the charities while the Kyles pocketed $3 million.

Although the movie is an initial box office hit, there is a growing backlash against its simplistic portrayal of the war and misleading take on Kyle's character.

 

[Iceweasel]

If a movie pisses off the left it's on my short list to watch.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

If a movie pisses off the left it's on my short list to watch.

Even though you know its fiction, even though you know you're being lied to ...

Just like Fox.

 

[MikeK]

I like docudramas and I like historical movies but it irritates the hell outta me that they are very seldom accurate.

Thanks for posting this critique. It lends substance to my vague suspicions of and anticipation about the typical Hollywood treatment of these highly questionable "legends."

Because of my suspicions I had no intention of seeing this movie unless it shows up on HBO. Now I'm even less inclined to watch it because it probably will piss me off.

The inordinate success of this propaganda film is a reflection of the current generation's need for war heroes to worship. My generation has no such need because we have clear recollection of World War Two.

My father served in the Pacific. His Army unit was one of those that relieved the Marines on Guadalcanal. The Marines had made a very bloody landing there and had pushed the Japanese back to the hills, where they had bunkered down in pill-boxes and caves. It was the Army's job to "mop up," which involved dealing with a lot of heavy machine-gun fire and four Banzai charges.

The battle for Guadalcanal is just one of many tales of real war, real heroism, and real sacrifice. There are many more. Such as the Tarawa beachhead, the Iwo Jima invasion in the Pacific, the battle of The Bulge and other major engagements in Europe that lasted weeks or months and caused more losses and maimings in one week than those sustained in the entire Iraq invasion and occupation. (Over 2,500 Marines died on Iwo Jima on Day One of that invastion.)

Our generation had more than its share of heroism tales. Today's generation doesn't have enough. So there are movies like this fictionalized tale of ersatz heroism.

 

[Treeshepherd]

I like docudramas and I like historical movies but it irritates the hell outta me that they are very seldom accurate.

Thanks for posting this critique. It lends substance to my vague suspicions of and anticipation about the typical Hollywood treatment of these highly questionable "legends."

My father served in the Pacific. His Army unit was one of those that relieved the Marines on Guadalcanal. The Marines had made a very bloody landing there and had pushed the Japanese back to the hills, where they had bunkered down in pill-boxes and caves. It was the Army's job to "mop up," which involved dealing with a lot of heavy machine-gun fire and four Banzai charges.

The battle for Guadalcanal is just one of many tales of real war, real heroism, and real sacrifice. There are many more. Such as the Tarawa beachhead, the Iwo Jima invasion in the Pacific, the battle of The Bulge and other major engagements in Europe that lasted weeks or months and caused more losses and maimings in one week than those sustained in the entire Iraq invasion and occupation. (Over 2,500 Marines died on Iwo Jima on Day One of that invastion.)

Our generation had more than its share of heroism tales. Today's generation doesn't have enough. So there are movies like this fictionalized tale of ersatz heroism.

My grandfather and great grandfather served in the South Pacific. My grandfather's ship was sunk while he was on leave on Bougainville Island. He actually ran into my great Grandfather there after not having seen one another for 5 years and my great grandfather gave my grandfather some extra underclothing. I have copies of their letters home. Fascinating. Fortunately my grandfather didn't go to Iwo Jima or I probably wouldn't be here.

I thought Eastwood's Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima project was interesting.

I had plans to see American Sniper yesterday. Changed my mind. The more I thought about it, the more this just seemed like a propaganda piece. I think I'll wait to rent it on DVD.

I thought Hurt Locker was over-rated. They used the ticking time bomb too much as a theatrical device. They made up a story about the bomb maker which was never resolved. Nobody ever found the bomb maker.

I've heard American Sniper is similar in that it uses the cross hairs of the scope repeatedly as a theatrical device. Is he going to pull the trigger? Oh, the suspense. And then they invented the anti-sniper villain who is a sort of shadow character, similar to the bomb maker in Hurt Locker.

The one poignant scene in Hurt Locker was after he comes home. He's shopping with the girlfriend and he's supposed to pick out some cereal. The camera shows him standing in front of 100 kinds of cereal, and these are the types of meaningless choices his life has been reduced to. Excellent scene, no explanation needed. Next scene, he's back in Iraq.

 

[ChrisL]

I like docudramas and I like historical movies but it irritates the hell outta me that they are very seldom accurate.

Is American Sniper historically accurate?

Clint Eastwood’s simplistic film about one of the deadliest snipers in US history piles on Bush-era propaganda and sharp-shoots the facts

Clint Eastwood’s movie slathers myths on top of Legend’s own legends. Audiences would be well advised to take American Sniper’s version of the war in Iraq with a very, very large pinch of salt.


AND


Here are seven lies about Chris Kyle and the story that director Clint Eastwood is telling:

1. The Film Suggests the Iraq War Was In Response To 9/11: One way to get audiences to unambiguously support Kyle's actions in the film is to believe he's there to avenge the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The movie cuts from Kyle watching footage of the attacks to him serving in Iraq, implying there is some link between the two.

2. The Film Invents a Terrorist Sniper Who Works For Multiple Opposing Factions: Kyle's primary antagonist in the film is a sniper named Mustafa. Mustafa is mentioned in a single paragraph in Kyle's book, but the movie blows him up into an ever-present figure and Syrian Olympic medal winner who fights for both Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and the Shia Madhi army.

3. The Film Portrays Chris Kyle as Tormented By His Actions: Multiple scenes in the movie portray Kyle as haunted by his service. One of the film's earliest reviews praised it for showing the “emotional torment of so many military men and women.” But that torment is completely absent from the book the film is based on. In the book, Kyle refers to everyone he fought as “savage, despicable” evil. He writes, “I only wish I had killed more.” He also writes, “I loved what I did. I still do. If circumstances were different – if my family didn't need me – I'd be back in a heartbeat. I'm not lying or exaggerating to say it was fun. I had the time of my life being a SEAL.” On an appearance on Conan O'Brien's show he laughs about accidentally shooting an Iraqi insurgent. He once told a military investigator that he doesn't “shoot people with Korans. I'd like to, but I don't.”

4. The Real Chris Kyle Made Up A Story About Killing Dozens of People In Post-Katrina New Orleans: Kyle claimed that he killed 30 people in the chaos of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a story Louisiana writer Jarvis DeBerry calls “preposterous." It shows the sort of mentality post-war Kyle had, but the claim doesn't appear in the film.

5. The Real Chris Kyle Fabricated A Story About Killing Two Men Who Tried To Carjack Him In Texas: Kyle told numerous people a story about killing two alleged carjackers in Texas. Reporters tried repeatedly to verify this claim, but no evidence of it exists.

6. Chris Kyle Was Successfully Sued For Lying About the Former Governor of Minnesota:Kyle alleged that former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura defamed Navy SEALs and got into a fight with him at a local bar. Ventura successfully sued Kyle for the passage in his book, and a jury awarded him $1.845 million.

7. Chris Kyle's Family Claimed He Donated His Book Proceeds To Veterans' Charity, But He Kept Most Of The Profits: The National Review debunks the claim that all proceeds of his book went to veterans' charities. Around 2 percent – $52,000 – went to the charities while the Kyles pocketed $3 million.

Although the movie is an initial box office hit, there is a growing backlash against its simplistic portrayal of the war and misleading take on Kyle's character.

Wow, I did not know a lot of those things, but understandably they have to make a movie that people are going to want to see, so yes, they are most often going to be embellished. Also, most of these types of movies are usually "based on a true story" which means they certainly do embellish the truth to make a more interesting story. That does not mean it's not a good movie though.

 

[MikeK]

[...]

I thought Eastwood's Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima project was interesting.

[...]

I agree. Flags of Our Fathers was an excellent treatment of the Iwo Jima story because it viewed that major battle from both sides. It was about the horrors of sustained combat with none of the typical emphasis on hate and good vs bad.

 

[Sgt_Gath]

I like docudramas and I like historical movies but it irritates the hell outta me that they are very seldom accurate.

Is American Sniper historically accurate?

Clint Eastwood’s simplistic film about one of the deadliest snipers in US history piles on Bush-era propaganda and sharp-shoots the facts

Clint Eastwood’s movie slathers myths on top of Legend’s own legends. Audiences would be well advised to take American Sniper’s version of the war in Iraq with a very, very large pinch of salt.


AND


Here are seven lies about Chris Kyle and the story that director Clint Eastwood is telling:

1. The Film Suggests the Iraq War Was In Response To 9/11: One way to get audiences to unambiguously support Kyle's actions in the film is to believe he's there to avenge the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The movie cuts from Kyle watching footage of the attacks to him serving in Iraq, implying there is some link between the two.

2. The Film Invents a Terrorist Sniper Who Works For Multiple Opposing Factions: Kyle's primary antagonist in the film is a sniper named Mustafa. Mustafa is mentioned in a single paragraph in Kyle's book, but the movie blows him up into an ever-present figure and Syrian Olympic medal winner who fights for both Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and the Shia Madhi army.

3. The Film Portrays Chris Kyle as Tormented By His Actions: Multiple scenes in the movie portray Kyle as haunted by his service. One of the film's earliest reviews praised it for showing the “emotional torment of so many military men and women.” But that torment is completely absent from the book the film is based on. In the book, Kyle refers to everyone he fought as “savage, despicable” evil. He writes, “I only wish I had killed more.” He also writes, “I loved what I did. I still do. If circumstances were different – if my family didn't need me – I'd be back in a heartbeat. I'm not lying or exaggerating to say it was fun. I had the time of my life being a SEAL.” On an appearance on Conan O'Brien's show he laughs about accidentally shooting an Iraqi insurgent. He once told a military investigator that he doesn't “shoot people with Korans. I'd like to, but I don't.”

4. The Real Chris Kyle Made Up A Story About Killing Dozens of People In Post-Katrina New Orleans: Kyle claimed that he killed 30 people in the chaos of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a story Louisiana writer Jarvis DeBerry calls “preposterous." It shows the sort of mentality post-war Kyle had, but the claim doesn't appear in the film.

5. The Real Chris Kyle Fabricated A Story About Killing Two Men Who Tried To Carjack Him In Texas: Kyle told numerous people a story about killing two alleged carjackers in Texas. Reporters tried repeatedly to verify this claim, but no evidence of it exists.

6. Chris Kyle Was Successfully Sued For Lying About the Former Governor of Minnesota:Kyle alleged that former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura defamed Navy SEALs and got into a fight with him at a local bar. Ventura successfully sued Kyle for the passage in his book, and a jury awarded him $1.845 million.

7. Chris Kyle's Family Claimed He Donated His Book Proceeds To Veterans' Charity, But He Kept Most Of The Profits: The National Review debunks the claim that all proceeds of his book went to veterans' charities. Around 2 percent – $52,000 – went to the charities while the Kyles pocketed $3 million.

Although the movie is an initial box office hit, there is a growing backlash against its simplistic portrayal of the war and misleading take on Kyle's character.

Wow, I did not know a lot of those things, but understandably they have to make a movie that people are going to want to see, so yes, they are most often going to be embellished. Also, most of these types of movies are usually "based on a true story" which means they certainly do embellish the truth to make a more interesting story. That does not mean it's not a good movie though.

True. Movies like to embellish things, and that's fine to a certain extent.

American Sniper bugs me a bit more than usual though.

A) This guy only died a year ago, so most people actually know what the real story was. It's too soon to go making things up.

B) It claims to be based on a book he wrote, when almost none of it is. It's basically fan-fiction starring Chris Kyle, not an actual description of his service.

C) It's not even particularly well done. It feels fake, and kind of dishonest, while also ignoring the more controversial aspects of his life.

IMO, they could have handled those aspects of the movie a lot better.

It was still a good movie about military families and PTSD. Don't get me wrong. However, the parts of the movie about war, and Chris Kyle at war, just kind of fell flat for me - especially so given the fact that most of the things shown never actually happened.

 

[ChrisL]

I like docudramas and I like historical movies but it irritates the hell outta me that they are very seldom accurate.

Is American Sniper historically accurate?

Clint Eastwood’s simplistic film about one of the deadliest snipers in US history piles on Bush-era propaganda and sharp-shoots the facts

Clint Eastwood’s movie slathers myths on top of Legend’s own legends. Audiences would be well advised to take American Sniper’s version of the war in Iraq with a very, very large pinch of salt.


AND


Here are seven lies about Chris Kyle and the story that director Clint Eastwood is telling:

1. The Film Suggests the Iraq War Was In Response To 9/11: One way to get audiences to unambiguously support Kyle's actions in the film is to believe he's there to avenge the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The movie cuts from Kyle watching footage of the attacks to him serving in Iraq, implying there is some link between the two.

2. The Film Invents a Terrorist Sniper Who Works For Multiple Opposing Factions: Kyle's primary antagonist in the film is a sniper named Mustafa. Mustafa is mentioned in a single paragraph in Kyle's book, but the movie blows him up into an ever-present figure and Syrian Olympic medal winner who fights for both Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and the Shia Madhi army.

3. The Film Portrays Chris Kyle as Tormented By His Actions: Multiple scenes in the movie portray Kyle as haunted by his service. One of the film's earliest reviews praised it for showing the “emotional torment of so many military men and women.” But that torment is completely absent from the book the film is based on. In the book, Kyle refers to everyone he fought as “savage, despicable” evil. He writes, “I only wish I had killed more.” He also writes, “I loved what I did. I still do. If circumstances were different – if my family didn't need me – I'd be back in a heartbeat. I'm not lying or exaggerating to say it was fun. I had the time of my life being a SEAL.” On an appearance on Conan O'Brien's show he laughs about accidentally shooting an Iraqi insurgent. He once told a military investigator that he doesn't “shoot people with Korans. I'd like to, but I don't.”

4. The Real Chris Kyle Made Up A Story About Killing Dozens of People In Post-Katrina New Orleans: Kyle claimed that he killed 30 people in the chaos of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a story Louisiana writer Jarvis DeBerry calls “preposterous." It shows the sort of mentality post-war Kyle had, but the claim doesn't appear in the film.

5. The Real Chris Kyle Fabricated A Story About Killing Two Men Who Tried To Carjack Him In Texas: Kyle told numerous people a story about killing two alleged carjackers in Texas. Reporters tried repeatedly to verify this claim, but no evidence of it exists.

6. Chris Kyle Was Successfully Sued For Lying About the Former Governor of Minnesota:Kyle alleged that former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura defamed Navy SEALs and got into a fight with him at a local bar. Ventura successfully sued Kyle for the passage in his book, and a jury awarded him $1.845 million.

7. Chris Kyle's Family Claimed He Donated His Book Proceeds To Veterans' Charity, But He Kept Most Of The Profits: The National Review debunks the claim that all proceeds of his book went to veterans' charities. Around 2 percent – $52,000 – went to the charities while the Kyles pocketed $3 million.

Although the movie is an initial box office hit, there is a growing backlash against its simplistic portrayal of the war and misleading take on Kyle's character.

Wow, I did not know a lot of those things, but understandably they have to make a movie that people are going to want to see, so yes, they are most often going to be embellished. Also, most of these types of movies are usually "based on a true story" which means they certainly do embellish the truth to make a more interesting story. That does not mean it's not a good movie though.

True. Movies like to embellish things, and that's fine to a certain extent.

American Sniper bugs me a bit more than usual though.

A) This guy only died a year ago, so most people actually know what the real story was. It's too soon to go making things up.

B) It claims to be based on a book he wrote, when almost none of it is. It's basically fan-fiction starring Chris Kyle, not an actual description of his service.

C) It's not even particularly well done. It feels fake, and kind of dishonest, while also ignoring the more controversial aspects of his life.

IMO, they could have handled those aspects of the movie a lot better.

It was still a good movie about military families and PTSD. Don't get me wrong. However, the parts of the movie about war, and Chris Kyle at war, just kind of fell flat for me.

That's true. He did die a very short time ago. I heard his wife was pretty happy with it though.

 

[Sgt_Gath]

I like docudramas and I like historical movies but it irritates the hell outta me that they are very seldom accurate.

Is American Sniper historically accurate?

Clint Eastwood’s simplistic film about one of the deadliest snipers in US history piles on Bush-era propaganda and sharp-shoots the facts

Clint Eastwood’s movie slathers myths on top of Legend’s own legends. Audiences would be well advised to take American Sniper’s version of the war in Iraq with a very, very large pinch of salt.


AND


Here are seven lies about Chris Kyle and the story that director Clint Eastwood is telling:

1. The Film Suggests the Iraq War Was In Response To 9/11: One way to get audiences to unambiguously support Kyle's actions in the film is to believe he's there to avenge the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The movie cuts from Kyle watching footage of the attacks to him serving in Iraq, implying there is some link between the two.

2. The Film Invents a Terrorist Sniper Who Works For Multiple Opposing Factions: Kyle's primary antagonist in the film is a sniper named Mustafa. Mustafa is mentioned in a single paragraph in Kyle's book, but the movie blows him up into an ever-present figure and Syrian Olympic medal winner who fights for both Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and the Shia Madhi army.

3. The Film Portrays Chris Kyle as Tormented By His Actions: Multiple scenes in the movie portray Kyle as haunted by his service. One of the film's earliest reviews praised it for showing the “emotional torment of so many military men and women.” But that torment is completely absent from the book the film is based on. In the book, Kyle refers to everyone he fought as “savage, despicable” evil. He writes, “I only wish I had killed more.” He also writes, “I loved what I did. I still do. If circumstances were different – if my family didn't need me – I'd be back in a heartbeat. I'm not lying or exaggerating to say it was fun. I had the time of my life being a SEAL.” On an appearance on Conan O'Brien's show he laughs about accidentally shooting an Iraqi insurgent. He once told a military investigator that he doesn't “shoot people with Korans. I'd like to, but I don't.”

4. The Real Chris Kyle Made Up A Story About Killing Dozens of People In Post-Katrina New Orleans: Kyle claimed that he killed 30 people in the chaos of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a story Louisiana writer Jarvis DeBerry calls “preposterous." It shows the sort of mentality post-war Kyle had, but the claim doesn't appear in the film.

5. The Real Chris Kyle Fabricated A Story About Killing Two Men Who Tried To Carjack Him In Texas: Kyle told numerous people a story about killing two alleged carjackers in Texas. Reporters tried repeatedly to verify this claim, but no evidence of it exists.

6. Chris Kyle Was Successfully Sued For Lying About the Former Governor of Minnesota:Kyle alleged that former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura defamed Navy SEALs and got into a fight with him at a local bar. Ventura successfully sued Kyle for the passage in his book, and a jury awarded him $1.845 million.

7. Chris Kyle's Family Claimed He Donated His Book Proceeds To Veterans' Charity, But He Kept Most Of The Profits: The National Review debunks the claim that all proceeds of his book went to veterans' charities. Around 2 percent – $52,000 – went to the charities while the Kyles pocketed $3 million.

Although the movie is an initial box office hit, there is a growing backlash against its simplistic portrayal of the war and misleading take on Kyle's character.

Wow, I did not know a lot of those things, but understandably they have to make a movie that people are going to want to see, so yes, they are most often going to be embellished. Also, most of these types of movies are usually "based on a true story" which means they certainly do embellish the truth to make a more interesting story. That does not mean it's not a good movie though.

True. Movies like to embellish things, and that's fine to a certain extent.

American Sniper bugs me a bit more than usual though.

A) This guy only died a year ago, so most people actually know what the real story was. It's too soon to go making things up.

B) It claims to be based on a book he wrote, when almost none of it is. It's basically fan-fiction starring Chris Kyle, not an actual description of his service.

C) It's not even particularly well done. It feels fake, and kind of dishonest, while also ignoring the more controversial aspects of his life.

IMO, they could have handled those aspects of the movie a lot better.

It was still a good movie about military families and PTSD. Don't get me wrong. However, the parts of the movie about war, and Chris Kyle at war, just kind of fell flat for me.

That's true. He did die a very short time ago. I heard his wife was pretty happy with it though.

Yea. The parts with his wife and family were pretty well done, I thought. It was also a really flattering portrayal of Kyle all the way around, with Cooper doing a great job in the role.

It was maybe just a tad too flattering though, while playing a bit too fast and loose with the facts. lol

To each their own, however.

 

[ChrisL]

I like docudramas and I like historical movies but it irritates the hell outta me that they are very seldom accurate.

Is American Sniper historically accurate?

Clint Eastwood’s simplistic film about one of the deadliest snipers in US history piles on Bush-era propaganda and sharp-shoots the facts

Clint Eastwood’s movie slathers myths on top of Legend’s own legends. Audiences would be well advised to take American Sniper’s version of the war in Iraq with a very, very large pinch of salt.


AND


Here are seven lies about Chris Kyle and the story that director Clint Eastwood is telling:

1. The Film Suggests the Iraq War Was In Response To 9/11: One way to get audiences to unambiguously support Kyle's actions in the film is to believe he's there to avenge the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The movie cuts from Kyle watching footage of the attacks to him serving in Iraq, implying there is some link between the two.

2. The Film Invents a Terrorist Sniper Who Works For Multiple Opposing Factions: Kyle's primary antagonist in the film is a sniper named Mustafa. Mustafa is mentioned in a single paragraph in Kyle's book, but the movie blows him up into an ever-present figure and Syrian Olympic medal winner who fights for both Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and the Shia Madhi army.

3. The Film Portrays Chris Kyle as Tormented By His Actions: Multiple scenes in the movie portray Kyle as haunted by his service. One of the film's earliest reviews praised it for showing the “emotional torment of so many military men and women.” But that torment is completely absent from the book the film is based on. In the book, Kyle refers to everyone he fought as “savage, despicable” evil. He writes, “I only wish I had killed more.” He also writes, “I loved what I did. I still do. If circumstances were different – if my family didn't need me – I'd be back in a heartbeat. I'm not lying or exaggerating to say it was fun. I had the time of my life being a SEAL.” On an appearance on Conan O'Brien's show he laughs about accidentally shooting an Iraqi insurgent. He once told a military investigator that he doesn't “shoot people with Korans. I'd like to, but I don't.”

4. The Real Chris Kyle Made Up A Story About Killing Dozens of People In Post-Katrina New Orleans: Kyle claimed that he killed 30 people in the chaos of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a story Louisiana writer Jarvis DeBerry calls “preposterous." It shows the sort of mentality post-war Kyle had, but the claim doesn't appear in the film.

5. The Real Chris Kyle Fabricated A Story About Killing Two Men Who Tried To Carjack Him In Texas: Kyle told numerous people a story about killing two alleged carjackers in Texas. Reporters tried repeatedly to verify this claim, but no evidence of it exists.

6. Chris Kyle Was Successfully Sued For Lying About the Former Governor of Minnesota:Kyle alleged that former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura defamed Navy SEALs and got into a fight with him at a local bar. Ventura successfully sued Kyle for the passage in his book, and a jury awarded him $1.845 million.

7. Chris Kyle's Family Claimed He Donated His Book Proceeds To Veterans' Charity, But He Kept Most Of The Profits: The National Review debunks the claim that all proceeds of his book went to veterans' charities. Around 2 percent – $52,000 – went to the charities while the Kyles pocketed $3 million.

Although the movie is an initial box office hit, there is a growing backlash against its simplistic portrayal of the war and misleading take on Kyle's character.

Wow, I did not know a lot of those things, but understandably they have to make a movie that people are going to want to see, so yes, they are most often going to be embellished. Also, most of these types of movies are usually "based on a true story" which means they certainly do embellish the truth to make a more interesting story. That does not mean it's not a good movie though.

True. Movies like to embellish things, and that's fine to a certain extent.

American Sniper bugs me a bit more than usual though.

A) This guy only died a year ago, so most people actually know what the real story was. It's too soon to go making things up.

B) It claims to be based on a book he wrote, when almost none of it is. It's basically fan-fiction starring Chris Kyle, not an actual description of his service.

C) It's not even particularly well done. It feels fake, and kind of dishonest, while also ignoring the more controversial aspects of his life.

IMO, they could have handled those aspects of the movie a lot better.

It was still a good movie about military families and PTSD. Don't get me wrong. However, the parts of the movie about war, and Chris Kyle at war, just kind of fell flat for me.

That's true. He did die a very short time ago. I heard his wife was pretty happy with it though.

Yea. The parts with his wife and family were pretty well done, I thought. It was also a really flattering portrayal of Kyle all the way around, with Cooper doing a great job in the role.

It was maybe just a tad too flattering though, while playing a bit too fast and loose with the facts. lol

To each their own though.

Well, like I said earlier, it's really not my kind of movie anyway. I like comedies and action movies and stuff like that! Even some psychological thrillers are okay, but I don't like feeling sad or depressed when watching a movie. Although you say it's not that sad, I even thought the ads were a little sad.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Perspective

 

[Vigilante]

Muttley will be pissed! I hope she wets herself!

Box Office: 'American Sniper' Hits $200M After $64M Weekend

Forbes ^
Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper scored another stunning victory over its second weekend of wide release. The Warner Bros. /Time Warner TWX -2.14% Inc. war drama earned another $64.365 million over the weekend, which was a weekend-to-weekend drop of just 28%. It has now earned $200.137m domestic. That’s also the biggest non-debut-weekend in history for an R-rated film, easily besting the $53m second Friday of The Passion of the Christ as well the over/under $30m second weekends of Hannibal, The Matrix Reloaded, The Hangover, The Hangover part II, and 300. If there was any question, it is now clear that, inflation...

 

[usmcstinger]

American Sniper



Hmmm... Not so sure about this one, to be honest.

Maybe it was Eastwood's trademark sentimentality. Maybe it was the pressure from Kyle's family to be "respectful" at all costs. In any case, however, the end result struck me as being more than a bit "sanitized," and even vaguely "cheesy" in comparison to some of the other war movies I've seen recently.

I mean... Don't get me wrong. There are some intense scenes in this movie, and I like the message they're going for. However, in comparison to Fury, or even the Hurtlocker, the film comes off as being rather tame, predictable, and overly "clean." It would have benefited from a bit more grit, IMO.

Where the film does succeed, on the other hand, is in its portrayal of the impact the war had on Kyle's family and home life. Honestly, this is probably a better movie about PTSD and the stress of reintegration faced by soldiers returning home from war than it is about war itself.

Even then, however, Kyle comes off as being just a tad too saintly to be completely believable.

We're talking about the guy who may or may not have lied through his teeth about punching out Governor Jessie Ventura here (which the movie completely ignores), after all.



Did Chris Kyle deck Jesse Ventura? | San Diego Reader

I'm not really sure if I buy the almost completely straight-laced "aw shucks" country boy portrayal of him the movie tries to sell.

In any eventuality, all of this aside, it's not a "bad" movie. It's just not quite what I was expecting.

Overall: 6.5 out 10

Every Nation's Military has Snipers.. When my GRUNT unit came down from our night position to link up with our Alfa Co.,on the way down we saw 2 Bloody USMC Flak Jackets with bullet holes in the neck of each. As we were moving to take up defensive positions, we passed by the Pancho Covered Marines who the NVA Sniper killed. I was shot at by NVA Snipers a few times. Thank God, they were lousy shots. We called them many things but not cowards. They were doing the same job as our Marine Snipers were doing.

Let's not forget the Grunts who fought up front and personal as well as all those who served in other parts of Combat Arms.

Why is it that those who chose not serve in Armed Combat with our Armed Forces profess to know all about?

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Saw the movie finally yesterday.

My take:
1) As a movie, disregarding politics or opinions on the war itself - 5 Stars I was fully entertained and it certainly kept your attention.
2) The politics - 4 Stars. What the loony critics do not take into account is the movie is made from the perspective of Kyle. And Kyle believed in the war, it's purpose and that he was fighting to protect Americans from an evil enemy.
And you know what? That is all that matters. The movie accurately portrayed his view of the war, and what he did. You don't like his opinion - fine. But your opinion has no bearing on the movie, and neither does anyone else's. Make your own movie.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Not surprisingly, we continue to glorify war and violence in the name of country while hypocritically condemning it when it's being done against us. We made a movie about a sniper who killed scores of people, gave him medals for killing well, and mourned his murder. Yet when a foreign combatant kills one our guys we condemn that but not when our guys do it to their's. Perfectly udnerstandable of course, but at the same time perfectly hypocritical.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Not surprisingly, we continue to glorify war and violence in the name of country while hypocritically condemning it when it's being done against us. We made a movie about a sniper who killed scores of people, gave him medals for killing well, and mourned his murder. Yet when a foreign combatant kills one our guys we condemn that but not when our guys do it to their's. Perfectly udnerstandable of course, but at the same time perfectly hypocritical.

Not hypocritical in the least.
If our country attacked Canada numerous times, we engaged in deplorable human rights violations, used chemical weapons on our own people - and a Canadian sniper killed our soldiers - then yes, it would be hypocritical.

 

[georgephillip]

If our country attacked Canada numerous times, we engaged in deplorable human rights violations, used chemical weapons on our own people

Our country has attacked Canada more times than Iraq has attacked the US. Our country has engaged in human rights violations on a scale Saddam could not even imagine, and it's used chemical weapons on innocent human beings from Korea to Kandahar. American Sniper is just the latest attempt to whitewash a history based on genocide and slavery: blood on the leaf; blood at the root.