Sneering at the Sniper Movie

Townhall.com ^ | January 2, 2015 | Brent Bozell

[Kaslin]

At this point in George W. Bush's presidency, Hollywood uncorked a barrel of anti-Iraq-war movies, all of them in their varying styles trashing the American military or intelligence agencies as vicious murderers, rapists and all-around freedom-tramplers. Most were duds because the public wanted nothing to do with those messages. But oh, did the critics love 'em.

In Obama's "fourth quarter," as he calls it, Clint Eastwood has released his movie "American Sniper," starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, a NAVY Seal who survived four tours of duty in Iraq and was credited with an astonishing 160 confirmed kills. The story ended horribly in 2013, four years after he left the Navy, when he and a friend were shot down at a Texas shooting range. Oh, how the critics hate it.

New York Times film critic A.O. Scott has indicted the film as political propaganda: "The politics of the Iraq war are entirely absent, which is a political statement in its own right," he declared. "And though George W. Bush's name is never invoked, 'American Sniper' can be seen as an expression of nostalgia for his Manichaean approach to foreign policy."

It's just pathetic that a film that doesn't strike a partisan note is somehow political by being non-political. Scott loved the non-political Iraq war film "The Hurt Locker" in 2009, but the main military characters in that film were fully fictional men disarming bombs, not a real-life Silver Star winner with a talent for picking off terrorists.

Scott admits that Eastwood "doesn't flinch from portraying the toll of his (Kyle's) service on his psyche and his marriage, though it may tidy up the damage a bit too quickly and neatly. But this, too, is part of the film's loyalty to its hero's understanding of himself and his work. Or, you might say, its commitment to printing his legend. 'Legend' is one of the nicknames Chris earns from his admiring fellow servicemen, who are in awe of his bravery and skill, and Mr. Eastwood engages in his share of mythmaking."

Liberal film critics today don't like the pairing of "military" and "hero" in the same breath. In their forever-Vietnam mentality, "duty, honor, country" are just fancy words for being tools of a ravenous military-industrial complex that lies its way into war for power and profit.

Scott is a blatantly dishonest critic for a blatantly dishonest newspaper. Time and again, he demonstrates that films he sees as conservative must be denounced as ridiculously propagandistic, but films he sees as liberal aren't propaganda, but important lessons for the country. Conservative films are often pulp; liberal films are often works of art.

Let's match "Sniper" with "Milk," the 2008 film about assassinated gay San Francisco city councilman Harvey Milk. In this exercise in liberal mythmaking and propaganda, Scott hailed Sean Penn for conveying "Milk's fundamental kindness, a personal virtue that also functions as a political principle."

Scott can hail how "Milk had a profound impact on national politics, and his rich afterlife in American culture has affirmed his status as pioneer and martyr." And yet the script "manages to evade many of the traps and compromises of the period biopic with a grace and tenacity worthy of its title character."

Facts don't matter one whit. After all, Scott loved "Fahrenheit 911" 10 years ago. He asserted that while Michael Moore's mockumentary would be "properly debated on the basis of its factual claims and cinematic techniques, it should first of all be appreciated as a high-spirited and unruly exercise in democratic self-expression." He honored Moore as "a credit to the Republic."

Note that nothing here has anything to do with the artistic merits of the film. It's pure political commentary. That's supposed to be the purview of editorials and columnists, not film critics.

Americans face a double whammy in the world of entertainment media: Movie studios often make syrupy liberal movies, and then liberal critics try to praise them right into the Oscar cavalcade and the film history books. Movies about real-life American military heroes need not apply.

[blu]

I bought the book earlier this week, because I wanted to see how the author saw things and I am afraid the movie will be Hollywood-ized. So far, it’s an excellent book.

[Rummyfan]

New York Times film critic A.O. Scott has indicted the film as political propaganda: "The politics of the Iraq war are entirely absent, which is a political statement in its own right," he declared.

Hey dumba**, it's a movie about Chris Kyle, not the politics of the Iraq war.

[Rummyfan]

...Hollywood uncorked a barrel of anti-Iraq-war movies, all of them in their varying styles trashing the American military or intelligence agencies as vicious murderers...

Turkeys like

In the Vallay of Elah

and

Rendition

and

The Green Zone

and etc etc...

[Dr. Sivana]

And though George W. Bush's name is never invoked, 'American Sniper' can be seen as an expression of nostalgia for his Manichaean approach to foreign policy.

Oh, come now. Everyone who isn't a moral relativist is a Manichaean now? I don't have too much use for how we went about the whole thing, but it was NOT Manichaean, or gnostic in any way, other than there were two sides, as there are in most wars.

[RandallFlagg]

I’ll be starting the audiobook of Lone Survivor this week, and American Sniper next week.

I get to listen to loads of audiobooks during my 12-hour shifts.

[Hugin]

New York Times film critic A.O. Scott has indicted the film as political propaganda: "The politics of the Iraq war are entirely absent, which is a political statement in its own right," he declared. "And though George W. Bush's name is never invoked, 'American Sniper' can be seen as an expression of nostalgia for his Manichaean approach to foreign policy."

Really? I do not think it means what you think it means.

Man·i·chae·an noun \ˌma-nə-ˈkē-ən\\ˈma-nə-ˌkē\

1: a believer in a syncretistic religious dualism originating in Persia in the third century a.d. and teaching the release of the spirit from matter through asceticism

2: a believer in religious or philosophical dualism

[savagesusie]

You really need to study some philosophy/theology.....as Aristotle stated (and he was the Father of Logic),: people are political/social animals.

Everything is political....can’t separate any social actions and politics. Just like Faith and Reason can’t be separated-—else you get irrational ideologies like islam. Islam throws out Reason (Natural Law).

BTW, ALL movies are political. Every movie puts out “perceptions” of Reality. All people who make movies have a bias, an agenda. And all movies affect emotions and perceptions.

This Eastwood movie obviously goes against the Hollywood agenda (Satanic Worldview) that is being forced on our children and in so-called “Just” Law.

[chajin]

BTW, ALL movies are political.

Also, all films are propaganda, because they are designed to propagate a message. The only reason all movies are political is because a society that does not rest in God has to "rest" in itself, and so the messages of such a society are political rather than theological. Everything has been political since Hegel.

[onona]

I just finished Unbroken on a trip back from South Carolina. Put it on you list.

[blu]

Thanks for the tip, I think I have Lone Survivor in the Kindle, will check for it. And lucky you! Getting to listen while working!

Just checked, I have it! Sweet! Nice long weekend of working and reading!

[StonyBurk]

God willing I will purchase the book —to honor the man and his widow. and the movie as much to send a message to that lost soul forever wandering Ventura highway seeking widows to haul into court .

[Thales Miletus]

Read the book when it first came out. I loved the way they interspersed his wife’s comments in there. It gave you more of a feel how the whole family dealt with his deployments. These are real people with real families living everyday lives and trying to keep it together so the country stays safe.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Here is some video of a Blackwater sniper in action during the Mehdi revolt in Najaf, Iraq. It was called a “target rich environment”, and if he was an average marksman, you can figure about 1 in 4 shots fired hit an enemy (in the open). In that he was a former Marine sniper, probably a little over 1 in 2.

Do a count of how many bullets he fired. Do the math.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7TRP-d5h2Q

[trebb]

Hey dumba**, it's a movie about Chris Kyle, not the politics of the Iraq war.

Exactly - the politics drove the meat of the story (the reason men like him were needed and put to use along with the psychological conundrums they entail) and remain a whole different facet.

[Vaduz]

Spot on movie critic shows IQ.

[PUGACHEV]

"At this point in George W. Bush's presidency, Hollywood uncorked a barrel of anti-Iraq-war movies..."

And good grief are they bad! We rented "Fury" last night on Amazon Prime and afterward Amazon had about two dozen "Recommended" movies, all of the "uncorked" GWB vintage concerning Iraq. Since they were free with Amazon Prime, we watched a bit of about half a dozen of them. I say again, good grief they were so bad, it's no wonder they were free... and even then they weren't worth it.

[Rennes Templar]

“It’s just pathetic that a film that doesn’t strike a partisan note is somehow political by being non-political.”

The non-reporting by the alphabet networks is a daily political statement.

[Mathews]

Shouldn’t you be working for 12 hrs though???

[Mathews]

bump