Bradley Cooper’s role has generated a conversation about how Americans view war. Courtesy of Flickr
By Meghan Campbell
Clint Eastwood’s newest movie, American Sniper, has been creating a huge buzz since its international debut on Jan. 16. Making headlines across the nation, this newly-released film has already been nominated for several Oscars, while also stirring up its fair share of controversy.
Based on the book American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US History, the film follows the struggles depicted by its author, Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. Offering a glimpse into the life of America’s deadliest sniper, the movie allows viewers to see the ordeals Kyle faced both during his four deployments in Iraq and while living at home with his family.
While the film has audiences piling into theaters, critics are buzzing about the portrayal of Kyle himself, as well as the events in the film, dubbing it just another one of Hollywood’s fantasies. Adding a Hollywood twist is a concept the public is certainly familiar with. On Christmas of last year, the war movie Lone Survivor was released and caused quite a stir, due to its complete fabrication of some of the scenes. Similarly, while the movie mainly follows the scenes Kyle describes in his novel, Hollywood took some creative liberties with American Sniper.
“The movie was pretty on point until the part where he got ‘rescued’ by the villagers. Then it went to crap,” said Lieutenant Colonel Allen Howard, one of the members of the rescue mission depicted in Lone Survivor. “It totally distorted the book (which is true, unless Luttrel was lying) and just became a Hollywood shoot-em-up.”
Similarly, while the movie mainly follows the scenes Kyle describes in his novel, Hollywood took some creative liberties with American Sniper.
“Too many people wrap it up in a neat little Hollywood package,” said Lieutenant Colonel Howard.
“They remember Zero Dark Thirty and say ‘Hooray! We killed Bin Laden!’ like it was all so easy, but they forget Neil Roberts and the hundreds of operators we lost and thousands of brutal missions that have been going on non-stop for almost 15 years while 99 percent of the population back home carries on just like before, as if nothing ever happened and nothing about Iraq or Afghanistan touches their lives.”
Critics claim American Sniper is specifically pro-America, making out the Iraqis in the film to be the bad guys. The beginning of the movie starts with a fictional scene used to turn the audience against the Iraqis when an Iraqi mother sends a young boy into a situation in which Kyle is forced to kill him in order to save a group of Marines. Several of the antagonists in the film, such as ‘The Butcher,” are fictional characters in the movie, and strictly used to improve the plot. The black-and-white attitude toward the conflict has upset some viewers and caused them to refer to the film as a newer, modern form of war propaganda.
“I definitely think that this film could lead to misconceptions for viewers, and there was a strong bias against Muslims throughout the movie,” said Katie Porter, FCRH ’18. “All of the Iraqi citizens were portrayed as threats and there were even a couple lines about shooting everyone the soldiers saw, which made the movie seem like propaganda.”
Throughout the film, Iraqis were referred to as “savages,” a term Kyle used in his novel. With the release of his book in October of 2013, readers discovered a side to Kyle that some found somewhat alarming. Quotes such as, “I only wished I killed more,” disturbed many readers and caused them to rethink their vision of Chris Kyle and his true motivations. Furthermore, statements like this led to the public questioning why Hollywood would create a movie glorifying a main character who appears to be a cold-hearted killer.
Critics have taken a very public stance against the way Kyle is portrayed in the film. Many claim the movie exemplifies an assassin, and have retaliated in very public ways; even going as far as to graffiti “murder” on a billboard advertising the movie. Going off the streets and onto social media, stars also shared their feelings. Seth Rogen even tweeted, “American Sniper kind of reminds me of the movie that’s showing in the third act of Inglorious Bastards.” While Rogen has apologized for his tweet, Michael Moore stood by his belief, calling snipers “cowards.” Along with its critics, the film has gathered many supporters. Singers Blake Shelton and Kid Rock both defended the movie, lashing out on social media against the criticizers.
Despite all the controversy surrounding the film, it has experienced box-office success since its release. After making $105 million the weekend of its debut, the movie is blowing past its original expectations of $42 million. With six Oscar nominations, including Best Actor and Best Picture, the future is looking bright for American Sniper.
