With veteran director like Clint Eastwood, it’s no surprise this film was well received despite its arguably conservative tones. War is tough translate onto the silver screen for several reasons. First, realistic battle scenes are difficult to present without looking similar to a normal action movie. Second, political bias from director or production team creeps into war films. Third, the plot and characters often take a secondary role to presenting actual fights scenes. Either its masturbation towards America or a fierce dismissal and critique of this country’s actions around the world. Few movies actually capture the horror of war without analyzing it. Thankfully, American Sniper isn’t technically about war.
Rather it’s about how the Iraq War affected Chris Kyle. Given the U.S.’s partial blame for creating foundational circumstances that lead to ISIS and it’s generally poor foreign policy decisions since 2000, temptation to use this film as a vehicle for criticism existed. Combat scenes are presented without partiality. Chris’ first kills involve a boy and his mother, one right after the other. American could have sentimentally lingered, trying to force audience sympathy; however, Chris is visibly shaken and the scene abruptly ends. Soldiers don’t have time or the luxury to contemplate moral consequences of their actions. Certain battle scenes bleed tension, elongating minutes into hours, while others disappear in a blink. Moral superiority isn’t given to either side, excluding the soldiers’ personal opinions. Similar to John Wick, the violence displayed leaves its audience uneasy. American Sniper only says, “war is terrible.” We don’t see this in Chris as much as his brother. The two meet briefly on an air base in Iraq. Despite his growing PTSD, Chris handles the war pretty well. Juxtapose that with his brother Jeff, who is distressed, broken and summarizes his war experience with, “fuck this place.”
Despite a myriad of visible characters, only two are significant: Chris and his wife Taya. In many ways this film tells their story versus just Chris’. I did want to see more exploration of Chris’ comrades during his four tours, however, time constraints probably stymied this, assuming any effort was taken at all. Focusing solely on Chris and his family was an excellent decision. American Sniper barely tops two hours which is a reasonable length for this story. Audiences are immersed into struggles and triumphs of Chris and to a lesser extent, his family. Bradley Cooper kills his role as Chris Kyle. His performance captures Chris’ simplicity and desire to protect his fellow soldiers. Sienna Miller also does an excellent job as Taya. Their intimacy seemed legitimate and genuine, disregarding the obvious. By the end, I cared about both of these characters. Speaking of PTSD, let’s look at some failing aspects.
It’s a shame because this film was doing so well until Chris returns from his last tour in Iraq. A major rift exists between him and Taya. Chris’ PTSD keeps his mind away from the present reality, causes unusual actions and sometimes violent outbursts. The war traumatized this soldier, yet he’s unwilling to acknowledge it until his son’s birthday party. Instead of showing the probably painful recovery and rebuilding their marriage, a time lapse occurs. As a viewer, I felt slighted. We get the horrors of war, but seeing Chris overcome a mental condition which resulted from his service and repost war life are not worth screen time? I understand that movie length would have become an issue, however, a simple montage with a few scenes would satisfied me. I’ve heard actual soldiers claim this movie accurately represents combat. A soldier’s tale involves his battles on the field and at home. This story needs both portions told, otherwise it’s disingenuous. One random thought: Taya gives the marine who kills Chris a stink for at least twenty seconds and it’s hilarious.
American Sniper will be remembered in the future for a plethora of reasons. Great acting and effective dramatization of an already compelling story create an emotional experience. After my first viewing, feelings of admiration and respect for our military men and women swept through me. Folks who sacrifice for western freedom shouldn’t suffer Chris’ end. It also reminded me that there are no winners in war, only those who lose less. Clint Eastwood was brave enough to keep political messages out of this film. I definitely recommend a viewing. Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to polarized by it.
I shouldn’t be surprised about the controversy this film created. People in the United States or western society are polarized over practically every social and political issue. Since soldiers and war are involved, radical liberals and extreme conservatives emerge from the shadows. Many Hollywood elites didn’t like American Sniper because it glorified a “murder.” A Muslim student claimed it was racist against Iraqis, Muslims and encouraged violence against Arab people (my paraphrasing). Human stupidity truly transcends gender and cultural boundaries. Many in the west espouse similar opinions. Here’s a response from an Iraqi who served with Chris. Turn the coin over and we find people who seem to deify this man. I saw a meme on facebook proposing to make his death anniversary a national holiday. I’ve seen Kyle “defenders” shout down other people who bring legitimate criticism against some of his post war actions. I think Chris is hero, not for the number of people he killed, rather for the lives he saved. Yet, I question some post war claims mentioned in his memoir because no one verify that those events ever happened. Chris Kyle was an honorable soldier who did his job, but he was still susceptible to the temptations of fame. So let’s stop perpetuating this “controversy” and get on with our lives.
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