"American Sniper"

[LA Ute]

We all liked it. It's very intense -- I was on the edge of my seat much of the time. Very well done. I predicted an Oscar nomination for Bradley Cooper and I was right.

Trailer:



The political reaction has been very interesting. I didn't see any politics in the movie. It was about soldiers doing what was asked of them. I suppose the movie needed to be anti-Iraq war to be acceptable to some. There's actually a campaign under way to keep the movie from getting an Oscar:

“Well, the only way we beat American Sniper for best picture is if we characterize people that like it as nutjobs.” - Hollywood Publicist

https://twitter.com/JimGaffigan/stat...25707034058752

One L.A. Times reviewer sees the movie as simply telling a story, and that it "brilliantly blurs ideological lines."

Eastwood himself thinks the movie is anti-war:

Eastwood also sees one very obvious anti-war statement in “American Sniper,” and it’s encompassed in the relationship between Kyle and his wife, played by Sienna Miller.

“It’s about the families, what war does to families. To me that’s the biggest anti-war statement of any such film,” Eastwood said of war movies, including his own, which include not only “Sniper” but the 2006 one-two punch of “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters From Iwo Jima.

“What war does to families, and the people who have to go back into civilian life, like Chris Kyle did — after World War II, everyone was just told to go home and get over it. Now there is some effort to help people get through it. In Chris Kyle’s case, it was no good deed went unpunished. Now with all the controversy we’ve had in our government over the treatment of vets, we’re straightening all that out.”

I predict no significant Academy Award for this movie.

[Diehard Ute]

I've followed Chris since before he blew up with the book. He was an amazing man who should be remembered as much for being willing to show his weaknesses and demons than anything else

Chris was in the process of becoming a law enforcement officer in Texas when he was killed, and of course was spending a lot of time helping other veterans.

Sniper doesn't glorify war IMO, if anything it shows what a horrible thing it is, even when is over for each soldier.

[concerned]

I've followed Chris since before he blew up with the book. He was an amazing man who should be remembered as much for being willing to show his weaknesses and demons than anything else

Chris was in the process of becoming a law enforcement officer in Texas when he was killed, and of course was spending a lot of time helping other veterans.

Sniper doesn't glorify war IMO, if anything it shows what a horrible thing it is, even when is over for each soldier.

My wife and I thought the same thing. We were drained when it ended. My reaction by the end was, how do soldiers endure this for three or four tours of duty. I kept wondering, what are we doing over there for this many years to put this many soldiers (many of whom like Chris Kyle are middle aged and have families) through this. It seemed like a tragedy to me, not a glorification.

[USS Utah]

I have read the book and I have watched the movie; as usual, the book is better. The movie is certainly a product of Hollywood, and there is a lot in the movie that wasn't in the book; about halfway through the movie seemed to turn into Enemy at the Gates -- the movie from 2001 about snipers in Stalingrad. Some of that stuff might actually have happened, I just know that Kyle didn't write about it. I am also pretty sure that the final climatic battle in the movie didn't actually happen. With all of that said, certain parts of the movie, while perhaps not accurate to actual events, are true to life and the experience of combat soldiers in war, including in Iraq. The movie probably could have given a little more time and emphasis to the impact of war on the soldier and their family, but what it did give was pretty good.

[LA Ute]

I was struck by the audience reaction as the credits rolled. The theater was silent, with some scattered applause. There was no rah-rah. Most people, like concerned, sat in their seats, seemingly drained. My wife, daughter and I felt mainly an awed respect for what the boots-on-the-ground military does, how well the members do it, and the sacrifices involved. It's a powerful movie, well worth seeing. What seems most interesting about it to me is that people come away from watching it with their existing views of the war in Iraq pretty much confirmed. It just tells a story and lets you draw your own conclusions.

[concerned]

I have read the book and I have watched the movie; as usual, the book is better. The movie is certainly a product of Hollywood, and there is a lot in the movie that wasn't in the book; about halfway through the movie seemed to turn into Enemy at the Gates -- the movie from 2001 about snipers in Stalingrad. Some of that stuff might actually have happened, I just know that Kyle didn't write about it. I am also pretty sure that the final climatic battle in the movie didn't actually happen. With all of that said, certain parts of the movie, while perhaps not accurate to actual events, are true to life and the experience of combat soldiers in war, including in Iraq. The movie probably could have given a little more time and emphasis to the impact of war on the soldier and their family, but what it did give was pretty good.

I am disappointed to think that the final scene may not have happened. I thought it was too much "shootout at the ok corral," mano y mano, uber sniper versus uber sniper, to make up or embellish for Hollywood drama's sake--it must have really happened. If it was made up, it didn't need to be. Much of the power of that scene came from the fact that Kyle sort of disobeyed orders by not waiting for reinforcements and giving away his squad's position. There was at least one other time where he and his squad put themselves in harm's way when they maybe should not have and paid the price. That was part of the power.

BTW, I havent read the book, but I have read some articles suggesting that Kyle mav have been a little more unbalanced or maniacal than he appears in the film--he bragged about killing looters during Katrina, which may never of happened, for example.

Showing real footage from his funeral procession and memorial service was a great touch. The audience applauded when we saw it. His wife's eulogy is on youtube and I watched it the other day. It was quite powerful, too.

[USS Utah]

The long shot: Kyle's longest shot did occur in Sadr City, but it was not to take out the uber enemy sniper. IIRC, the uber sniper was referred to once in the book, and no mano y mano battle ever occurred. One day in Sadr City, Kyle spotted someone on a roof at 2,100 yards, which meant even in the scope he could barely make him out. At first the guy was non-threatening, but he also had his back to Kyle, which meant the SEAL could keep an eye on him without revealing his position. After awhile, and Army convoy started to approach the area, the guy pops up with an RPG. Kyle took the shot mostly to try and scare the guy and stop him from firing the RPG, and to maybe warn the Army convoy. Instead the shot killed the man with the RPG.

Extraction: the closest thing to the final battle that happened in Sadr City actually happened at night, the first time Kyle entered the city. Someone decided to send the SEALs into Sadr on a foot patrol to set up their overwatch position. They went in on foot, found the place they wanted and entered, and then all hell broke loose. Someone fired an RPG at the building, hitting the room Kyle was about to enter. The SEALS were soon surrounded and it seemed that every insurgent in the city was coming after them. They called for the cavalry, a group of Army Stykers, which came in and extracted them. When the insurgents saw the Strykers, they changed their aim, and tried to knock out the armored vehicles, but they were overmatched and the Strykers started knocking people off roofs left and right. This allowed the SEALs to get to the Strykers, which then extracted them.

[mUUser]

Went with high expectations. Expectations were met but not exceeded. 4/4 stars. In the war genre, I give We Were Soldiers 4.5/4 stars.

[concerned]

I really enjoyed this comparison of Chris Kyle the movie protagonist to Achilles:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/art...ad_125676.html

[LA Ute]

I saw this a second time with my son. I rarely see a movie twice in the theater, but this time I am glad I did. I knew what was going to happen, and without the tension I could pay more attention to the details. It really is a well crafted movie.


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