Posted on 01/22/2015 9:35:17 AM PST by Kaslin
Do you support the war on Terror and, more specifically, the war in Iraq? How do you feel about snipers and the plight of the American soldier? On a more personal note, what are your thoughts on Chris Kyle, reportedly the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history?
Those three questions are valid and open for debate. Unfortunately, though, all three have become remarkably intertwined in the debate over the quality of the new film American Sniper.
Last Friday, the Clint Eastwood-helmed film American Sniper arrived in theaters banking over a hundred million dollars. Many conservatives embraced the film while some liberals lambasted it — but why? Many reactions to the film were politically-driven, despite Eastwood and Bradley Cooper (who plays Kyle in the film) arguing the film isn't political.
Much of the controversy about the film stems from the disparate opinions of Kyle, the feature’s subject, who wrote the book the film was adapted from. Kyle’s memoir focused on his training as a Navy SEAL, his experiences as a sniper in Iraq and his post-military life. Tragically, in 2013, a few years after leaving the battlefield, Kyle was killed by a former Marine who was reportedly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
After the film's release, The Guardian’s Lindy West wrote a piece entitled “The real American Sniper was a hate-filled killer. Why are simplistic patriots treating him as a hero?” while director Michael Moore tweeted “snipers aren’t heroes.” Many on the left and right were offended by West’s piece and by Moore’s criticism of a man who heroically served four tours of duty in Iraq when his country asked him to.
Adding to that, the New Republic’s Dennis Jett admitted that he hadn’t seen the film but decided to add his own take on the film. “If the trailer is any indication,” he wrote, “Eastwood’s film, like Zero Dark Thirty, tries to make a straightforward situation more complex than it is. “ Jett argued that the film might have misrepresented Kyle — based on a clip he found from the film. (The obvious hypocrisy of questioning the cinematic representation of a soldier in a movie he didn’t see eluded him).
It’s inarguable, though, that all of Chris Kyle’s life wasn’t depicted in the movie. Of the eight best picture Oscar nominees of 2015, four of them (The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, Selma, and American Sniper) were based on true stories. Of the four, only Selma faced the type of public outcry that American Sniper did and much of that controversy stemmed from the depiction of Lyndon Baines Johnson in the film itself.
With American Sniper, much of the controversy has focused on Kyle’s claims outside of the movie’s story. Slate.com, for instance, recently referred to Kyle as an “American liar” and detailed some of the claims Kyle made after publishing the book. One of the claims referred to a bar fight with former Gov. Jesse Ventura, a story Ventura successfully argued in court was inaccurate. It seems strange, however, that Sniper has faced more scrutiny about its hero than the subjects of other stories based on real events did.
It was only a few weeks ago that Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken opened with little criticism of its main character, Louis Zamperini. Zamperini, like Kyle (who is seen in the feature suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder), was a war hero who came back from the battlefield a scarred man. In a recent interview, Zamperini’s son Luke noted that it wasn’t until he witnessed a Billy Graham sermon in 1949 that his father changed his life. Luke said that “After his conversion, he was done getting drunk. He was done fighting.”
Few people have criticized Unbroken for ignoring Zamperini’s alcoholism and how he reportedly nearly ruined his marriage after the war (for the record, some did note that Zamperini’s story of personal redemption was ignored). Zamperini’s temperament and alcoholism was just seen as outside the purview of the story that Jolie wanted to tell.
Eastwood, meanwhile, was criticized by mainstream publications for only telling the part of Kyle’s story he wanted to tell.
It seems strange that Unbroken was seen as a straight-forward narrative about one soldier’s life while American Sniper was viewed as a political movie that celebrated Chris Kyle. For those who have seen the film itself, it operates more as a character study than as a war film and doesn’t really focus on political debates. It is, however, less cynical of the war itself than other films have been. That’s for a good reason. This story is about one soldier’s true story and not the entire war and therefore wouldn’t include such a debate.
Unfortunately, the film has fostered a mostly-partisan political debate with some on the right claiming it as their own and others (including Seth Rogen, who compared it to a Nazi propaganda film) attacking it. It’s unfortunate though that this film has become unwilling fodder for the culture wars.
As a film critic, I would argue that liberals who oppose the war in Iraq and who question some of Kyle’s claims could enjoy it. So too could conservatives who supported the war in Iraq and have few doubts about the veracity of Kyle’s claims.
For the record, I’m also glad that Jane Fonda and Rosie O’Donnell, two critics of the war in Iraq, came out in support of the film. That, of course, doesn’t mean that either of them support the war or every claim that Kyle made in his entire life.
It just means that they were open-minded enough to see the movie for what it was: a movie. I only wish that more people were more willing to do that.
It is being treated badly because this is the first defeat to the Hollywood anti-war crowd.
I'm not. One of them is a mean witch and the other one sat on an artillery piece in North Vietnam for a photo op.
No use for them at all.
Did they see the same movie I saw?
I saw NO POLITICS in that movie at all
There were hardly any specifics about what war he was in.
It was just a movie about a guy who kills people who were clearly out to kill American soldiers.
that’s it.
The movie did a good thing for us.It provoked a lot of lib a-holes into saying what they really think.Note their frantic backpedaling for the last few days.
the thing about Jessie Ventura suit is that he sued a dead man that could not defend himself. If Jessie had any class what so ever he should of dropped the suit after the guy died. But Jessie Ventura is the classic narcist that thinks everything in the world is about him.
‘The View’s’ Whoopi Goldberg Slams Seth Rogen, Michael Moore Over ‘American Sniper’ Criticism
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3249038/posts
MSNBC’s Ed Schultz Was ‘Disturbed’ By ‘American Sniper’ [VIDEO]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3248816/posts
I agree, no politics in the movie at all. I like what Daniel Greenfield wrote. He has several great one-liners in his post in case you missed it.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/dgreenfield/hollywoods-war-against-american-sniper/
You didn’t know what war it was? They mentioned the names of enough cities.
I felt very little emotion until Kyle returned for good.
Very well-made film, but I didn’t think it was great.
Made me feel sorry for all of our soldiers and for the citizens there caught in the middle.
What's "reportedly"? It's been confirmed by the people who keep the records.
A wounded warrior’s view of American Sniper from Bobby Henline’s Facebook page which is linked after:
Just watched American Sniper today. I walked into the theater alone trying not to be noticed. I sat all the way in the back by myself. As the movie started, my head swiveled double checking my surroundings.
I felt my chest tighten, I was breathing slow and heavy. Despite my panic attack I stayed in the theater. It wasn’t the war scenes that bothered me. It was how real the home life with the his family was and how real it was for him to deal with his PTSD triggers, that’s what really hit home with me. Of course some scenes on the battle field took me back. It reminded me that I haven’t came home yet. Don’t know if I total ever will. It’s harder for me when I’m around my family then when I’m alone or with military friends. It’s easier for me to live when I’m helping others, especial when I’m helping military. I left my family three more times after I was wounded to go overseas to the troops. It was easy and it’s sad that it’s easy to do that. Those that have seen docramentry “coming back with Wes Moore” on PBS heard my family and I sharing our difficult times, understand more what I’m talking about. It not easy being labeled a hero to so many and all you want to be is a hero to is your family and they don’t see it that way. Don’t get me wrong, they know what you did and what you do but your just dad, mom or spouse to them. It’s hard for them to fully understand because they don’t understand why it’s easy for you to leave and you don’t understand them not understanding and that can be confused as not loving them but that not the case. Clint Eastwood hit another home run with this film, just like I knew he would. I think this film will help other military families understand each other better, It my even save some marriages. Very powerful film and it’s just started to do it’s magic. My hats off to the Kyle family, thank you for sharing. And to all those out there that are just talking about the Hollywood sniper crap, let it go and look at the bigger picture that this film shows. The heartache and sacrifices the service member and their families go through for the love of their country and each other.
Chris Kyle, the Angel for so many thank you for your service
R.I.P Brother
https://www.facebook.com/BobbyHenline
Based on the ads, though, I'm really surprised that so many Conservatives have embraced the film.
Almost every ad I've seen shows an anguished Bradley Cooper about to shoot a little kid.
Then, it flashes to a weeping Cooper on the phone with his wife saying, “I wanna come home, baby.”
I assumed this was just one more Hollywood anti-Bush, anti-war film.
I live in Seattle, so maybe the ads here are trying to trick our 75% Socialist viewing audience into seeing the movie?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.