"American Sniper" ....Go see it.

[GaryPinC]

The theater I saw it in had the same reaction. When he movie ended and credits rolled. Complete silence. I have never experienced anything like that.

It was a powerful movie. Gave me an amazing sense of how difficult maintaining the "us vs them" mentality can be. In all fairness, there was no theme music playing as the credits rolled. Only time I can remember that.

[kota]

In case you don't know the whole story about Chris Kyle, I won't ruin the ending.

 

The movie itself was an amazing portrayal of Chris Kyle, his upbringing, his service to our country and the stress felt by so many of our servicemen and servicewomen who serve our country.

 

Bradley Cooper did an amazing job, as did the supporting cast. My son and I left the theater in silence...honestly, no one said a word. I didn't even really say anything until we were outside getting into the truck.

 

If you want to spend $10-15 and actually go watch a movie (I usually go once or twice a year), this was a good investment of time and money.

 

God Bless our troops and our country.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

 

Sorry i somewhat disagree with you on this. It's not a completely accurate portrayal of Chris Kyle at all in my opinion. The only thing they got right was the issues he had with his wife because he kept going away.

 

I read his autobiography a few years back right before his death. The events covered in film didn't happen in the book at all. There wasn't a butcher/Sniper-on-Sniper warfare. It was a way to hollywood it up for a film. They also got his first kills in Iraq wrong. It wasn't a kid it was a woman who he shot first. He struggled with quitting the service because he wanted to save his fellow servicemen and he put that before his own family.

 

He also in the movie seemed to be uncomfortable with his "Celebrity" which isn't the case. He repeated said that he didn't care how many people he killed he just wanted to kill more and was almost insulted when he was only credited 160 kills.

 

Chris Kyle is also a notorious liar. He made things up about Jesse Ventura which he lost a 1.8 million dollar law suit on after his death. He also claimed to have killed two guys who tried to steal his truck and that he also sat on top of the SuperDome shooting bad guys following the days of Katrina. Nobody can confirm these stories. So either he made them up, it's a government conspiracy or he potentially murdered people and covered it up on our own soil. I suspect he lied.

 

I have always respected what our armed services have done for our country. I have done a lot of research on the Navy Seals outside of this movie and respect everything they go through just to get an opportunity to train. There isn't any guarantee that you stay in the seals after Basic training and hell week. They show that in the movie when he has issues in target practice. To even get this far shows what kind of mental fortitude one can have. In the book Chris Kyle didn't come off as someone who struggled with what he saw or did. i don't have the statistics but i would assume that Navy Seals have far less cases of PTSD than an 18 year old kid given a few months of training and sent to IRAQ or Afganistan who breaks down from what they have seen.

 

Even with all that said i am somewhat of a fan of Chris Kyle. He saved a lot of soldiers lives playing overwatch with a sniper rifle. He also spent alot of time in his "off" hours training the marines for urban combat. He commented several times that he didn't think they had the necessary training to get them not killed. He did because as a SEAL you get a lot more training than your average soldier. He repeatedly went down and lead the team into the building when he should have been on the roof. He wanted to prevent them from getting killed. He was even ordered to stop and he disobeyed and the guys didn't turn him in.

 

Chris Kyle is somewhat misunderstood. If you can get past some of his exaggerations i think he struggled with what he saw in Iraq. He saw Woman and Children strapping themselves up with bombs and hitting marketplaces and US convoys. I think he saw that as cowardly and evil by the leaders of the country. He wanted to exterminate them which is why he held no remorse. I personally have no issues with this and agree but as Michael Moore said over the weekend we were the invaders in this case under false pretenses and people were defending the homes. It's despicable on what they did to their own countrymen and I hope that Americans would act differently if the roles were reversed.

 

It was a good movie if you didn't read the book but unfortunately it ruined it for me since I had. I expected something like this would happen but i hoped Clint Eastwood would get it right.

 

Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller were excellent in the movie. Cooper was nominated for a Oscar which he will probably win.

 

Thanks for the time.

[CowgirlsFan]

Saw it Sunday.

 

It was amazing but I didn't notice the "fake doll".

[BringBackFergy]

 

SPOILER ALERT

 

Sorry i somewhat disagree with you on this. It's not a completely accurate portrayal of Chris Kyle at all in my opinion. The only thing they got right was the issues he had with his wife because he kept going away.

 

I read his autobiography a few years back right before his death. The events covered in film didn't happen in the book at all. There wasn't a butcher/Sniper-on-Sniper warfare. It was a way to hollywood it up for a film. They also got his first kills in Iraq wrong. It wasn't a kid it was a woman who he shot first. He struggled with quitting the service because he wanted to save his fellow servicemen and he put that before his own family.

 

He also in the movie seemed to be uncomfortable with his "Celebrity" which isn't the case. He repeated said that he didn't care how many people he killed he just wanted to kill more and was almost insulted when he was only credited 160 kills.

 

Chris Kyle is also a notorious liar. He made things up about Jesse Ventura which he lost a 1.8 million dollar law suit on after his death. He also claimed to have killed two guys who tried to steal his truck and that he also sat on top of the SuperDome shooting bad guys following the days of Katrina. Nobody can confirm these stories. So either he made them up, it's a government conspiracy or he potentially murdered people and covered it up on our own soil. I suspect he lied.

 

I have always respected what our armed services have done for our country. I have done a lot of research on the Navy Seals outside of this movie and respect everything they go through just to get an opportunity to train. There isn't any guarantee that you stay in the seals after Basic training and hell week. They show that in the movie when he has issues in target practice. To even get this far shows what kind of mental fortitude one can have. In the book Chris Kyle didn't come off as someone who struggled with what he saw or did. i don't have the statistics but i would assume that Navy Seals have far less cases of PTSD than an 18 year old kid given a few months of training and sent to IRAQ or Afganistan who breaks down from what they have seen.

 

Even with all that said i am somewhat of a fan of Chris Kyle. He saved a lot of soldiers lives playing overwatch with a sniper rifle. He also spent alot of time in his "off" hours training the marines for urban combat. He commented several times that he didn't think they had the necessary training to get them not killed. He did because as a SEAL you get a lot more training than your average soldier. He repeatedly went down and lead the team into the building when he should have been on the roof. He wanted to prevent them from getting killed. He was even ordered to stop and he disobeyed and the guys didn't turn him in.

 

Chris Kyle is somewhat misunderstood. If you can get past some of his exaggerations i think he struggled with what he saw in Iraq. He saw Woman and Children strapping themselves up with bombs and hitting marketplaces and US convoys. I think he saw that as cowardly and evil by the leaders of the country. He wanted to exterminate them which is why he held no remorse. I personally have no issues with this and agree but as Michael Moore said over the weekend we were the invaders in this case under false pretenses and people were defending the homes. It's despicable on what they did to their own countrymen and I hope that Americans would act differently if the roles were reversed.

 

It was a good movie if you didn't read the book but unfortunately it ruined it for me since I had. I expected something like this would happen but i hoped Clint Eastwood would get it right.

 

Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller were excellent in the movie. Cooper was nominated for a Oscar which he will probably win.

 

Thanks for the time.

As I said above, I didn't read the book...so I can't comment on whether it was better or worse. A lot of times a movie isn't as good as a book. I did sense his frustration with women and children used to carry bombs/grenades, his wanting to go back to "save lives" etc. My son read the book and he thought the movie was great but parts were left out. Nonetheless, I thought it was great.

[stony]

 

SPOILER ALERT

 

Sorry i somewhat disagree with you on this. It's not a completely accurate portrayal of Chris Kyle at all in my opinion. The only thing they got right was the issues he had with his wife because he kept going away.

 

I read his autobiography a few years back right before his death. The events covered in film didn't happen in the book at all. There wasn't a butcher/Sniper-on-Sniper warfare. It was a way to hollywood it up for a film. They also got his first kills in Iraq wrong. It wasn't a kid it was a woman who he shot first. He struggled with quitting the service because he wanted to save his fellow servicemen and he put that before his own family.

 

He also in the movie seemed to be uncomfortable with his "Celebrity" which isn't the case. He repeated said that he didn't care how many people he killed he just wanted to kill more and was almost insulted when he was only credited 160 kills.

 

Chris Kyle is also a notorious liar. He made things up about Jesse Ventura which he lost a 1.8 million dollar law suit on after his death. He also claimed to have killed two guys who tried to steal his truck and that he also sat on top of the SuperDome shooting bad guys following the days of Katrina. Nobody can confirm these stories. So either he made them up, it's a government conspiracy or he potentially murdered people and covered it up on our own soil. I suspect he lied.

 

I have always respected what our armed services have done for our country. I have done a lot of research on the Navy Seals outside of this movie and respect everything they go through just to get an opportunity to train. There isn't any guarantee that you stay in the seals after Basic training and hell week. They show that in the movie when he has issues in target practice. To even get this far shows what kind of mental fortitude one can have. In the book Chris Kyle didn't come off as someone who struggled with what he saw or did. i don't have the statistics but i would assume that Navy Seals have far less cases of PTSD than an 18 year old kid given a few months of training and sent to IRAQ or Afganistan who breaks down from what they have seen.

 

Even with all that said i am somewhat of a fan of Chris Kyle. He saved a lot of soldiers lives playing overwatch with a sniper rifle. He also spent alot of time in his "off" hours training the marines for urban combat. He commented several times that he didn't think they had the necessary training to get them not killed. He did because as a SEAL you get a lot more training than your average soldier. He repeatedly went down and lead the team into the building when he should have been on the roof. He wanted to prevent them from getting killed. He was even ordered to stop and he disobeyed and the guys didn't turn him in.

 

Chris Kyle is somewhat misunderstood. If you can get past some of his exaggerations i think he struggled with what he saw in Iraq. He saw Woman and Children strapping themselves up with bombs and hitting marketplaces and US convoys. I think he saw that as cowardly and evil by the leaders of the country. He wanted to exterminate them which is why he held no remorse. I personally have no issues with this and agree but as Michael Moore said over the weekend we were the invaders in this case under false pretenses and people were defending the homes. It's despicable on what they did to their own countrymen and I hope that Americans would act differently if the roles were reversed.

 

It was a good movie if you didn't read the book but unfortunately it ruined it for me since I had. I expected something like this would happen but i hoped Clint Eastwood would get it right.

 

Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller were excellent in the movie. Cooper was nominated for a Oscar which he will probably win.

 

Thanks for the time.

Pretty much agree with everything here. Book and movie don't match up, but rarely ever do.

 

Thought Cooper and Miller were great as well. Politics and whatever aside, Clint is still making better movies than respected directors half his age.

[The Real Buffalo Joe]

I thought it was great. I just saw it last night, silent theater just like everyone else said. I'm not sure why there's this whole debate about whether the movie is pro war/anti war. It's a little of both I guess. It's just showing the harsh realites of what war really is and the effect it has on those on the front lines and their families.

[Fadingpain]

If anything, see it to piss off Michael Moore. I plan to see it this weekend. I was a big fan Lone Survivor as well, movie had the same effect on the theater I saw it in. Dead silence.

I love Michael Moore.

 

I also loved American Sniper and am reading Lone Survivor now by Marcus Luttrell.

 

I hear you Cugalabanza.

 

"Lone Survivor" was ghost written by an Englishman actually, and it is filled with shlock commentary and stilted dialogue, all designed to appeal to a very specific reader whose demographics I most certainly do not bear relation to. Think "Rush Limbaugh listener" and you get an idea.

 

You have to fight through that $&*# if you are interested in military history as I am and just to want find out the story.

 

The reader who does will be rewarded with a fascinating story of bravery and heroism.

 

And what a freaking tear jerker to boot.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Stopthepain

[Observer]

I will see the movie but I'll say that as I wrap up the book, the book hasn't been that great.

 

I like it. IT's interesting. But perhaps I've read a few too many books in this genre (first person Iraq/Afghan narrative) so that I find it a bit dull.

 

Not that I don't appreciate his service and his ability. I completely respect what he did and am grateful. But I just didn't feel like the book shed much light on him as a person or opened up a new historical chapter. Short though they were, I enjoyed the chapters from his wife's perspective more than the action chapters.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Observer

[Keukasmallies]

Saw it last night. DCTom's "analysis" above pretty much does it for me.

 

See it, but think about it as you're watching. Don't let the sound effects get in the way, think about the concept of the fog of war applying to the home front too.

[aussiew]

I hate war. But love great acting, cinematography, realistic special effects and good directing. So I LOVED this movie and glad I saw it on the BIG screen instead of my PC or TV.

 

The only glitch for me were the fake baby scenes. I was disappointed in Eastwood's decision to shoot those scenes that particular day after the real baby took ill...rather than wait a day until casting could have provided another baby.

[Deranged Rhino]

I hate war. But love great acting, cinematography, realistic special effects and good directing. So I LOVED this movie and glad I saw it on the BIG screen instead of my PC or TV.

 

The only glitch for me were the fake baby scenes. I was disappointed in Eastwood's decision to shoot those scenes that particular day after the real baby took ill...rather than wait a day until casting could have provided another baby.

 

Clint shoots movies on the cheap, which is something Hollywood should do more of. He does two takes (maybe) where most directors take dozens. This is why Warner brothers loves him, his movies are good but more importantly come in under budget.

 

I haven't seen the movie but heard about the fake baby. Will look for it when I go to the theater, but just wanted to give some insight as to why he didn't want to wait. If he waited, you're talking about a hundreds of thousands of dollars lost on that day of shooting.

[truth on hold]

- It was a good movie, but with it's fair share of flaws. It may appear great relative to the horrifically bad - and getting worse - Hollywood product out there these days. But in a few years out it will be mostly forgotten and not in the league of epic war movies like Patton or Apocalypse Now.

 

- It questions one's ability to re-adjust from a war environment, not the war itself -- it's the latter that leads some to conclude it errs on the side of pro-war propaganda. IMO they purposely stayed away from the meaning of war question too much, and perhaps because Iraq was such a farce they felt it would have distracted from the main purpose. However it can be argued the farcical nature also added to the re-adjustment problem.

 

- My own reflection is that I wouldn't be able to re-adjust. Once you lose that degree of compassion needed to perform in the war time situation (especially with the civilian aspect), I can see not getting it back enough to function in a stable society.

 

- The climactic battle scene was made amazing by the spooky sand storm.

 

- Bradley Cooper did a fine acting job.

 

- Sienna Miller is hot.

Edited January 25, 2015 by JTSP

[KD in CA]

- It questions one's ability to re-adjust from a war environment, not the war itself -- it's the latter that leads some to conclude it errs on the side of pro-war propaganda. IMO they purposely stayed away from the meaning of war question too much, and perhaps because Iraq was such a farce they felt it would have distracted from the main purpose. However it can be argued the farcical nature also added to the re-adjustment problem.

 

 

Apparently. It's been hard to miss all the hysterical online bashing of this movie from the left wing web blogs.

 

I guess they didn't include enough 'America Bad!'

[truth on hold]

 

Apparently. It's been hard to miss all the hysterical online bashing of this movie from the left wing web blogs.

 

I guess they didn't include enough 'America Bad!'

Or the pro-war propagandists -- both left and right -- who want to deflect any criticism as "anti-american" even though american lives and dollars are lost. Yeah, it's that kind of stuff I think the movie makers didn't want to get in the middle of.

[boyst]

I enjoyed the movie. It was better then Zero Dark Thirty, though not as gripping.

[Gugny]

Saw it last night. I thought it dragged on. I still considered it to be very good. I purposely did not do any research on Kyle prior to seeing the movie.

 

I did that today.

 

Had I done any research prior, I wouldn't have gone to see it.

 

I consider the real Chris Kyle a hero for saving soldiers' lives. I won't judge him on how he acted after his war experiences because I'm (fairly) sure the war had something to do with his habitual lying and the comments he made about enjoying killing people/wishing he'd have killed more.

 

All in all, it's my opinion this movie is nearly pure fiction and shouldn't be up for any awards other than best leading actor.

[BringBackFergy]

Saw it last night. I thought it dragged on. I still considered it to be very good. I purposely did not do any research on Kyle prior to seeing the movie.

 

I did that today.

 

Had I done any research prior, I wouldn't have gone to see it.

 

I consider the real Chris Kyle a hero for saving soldiers' lives. I won't judge him on how he acted after his war experiences because I'm (fairly) sure the war had something to do with his habitual lying and the comments he made about enjoying killing people/wishing he'd have killed more.

 

All in all, it's my opinion this movie is nearly pure fiction and shouldn't be up for any awards other than best leading actor.

Were you entertained?? After all, that's what "picture shows" are all about.

[Gugny]

Were you entertained?? After all, that's what "picture shows" are all about.

 

It was supposed to be a true story. The only things true were his name, that he killed a bunch of people and that he died. Everything else was made up. I was entertained. But I could have been entertained when it hit Netflix and not spent $35 for 3 people to go see it in the thee-ay-ter.

[The Poojer]

watched it today and kept myself shielded from any of the stories about historical accuracy or the life of chris kyle...i watched it simply as a movie....absolutely loved it, the end brought tears to my eyes, and i am not a big rah rah military patriotic guy. If i knew all the back stories of chris kyle and the inaccuracies i may not have liked it as much, glad i avoided it all

[Gugny]

watched it today and kept myself shielded from any of the stories about historical accuracy or the life of chris kyle...i watched it simply as a movie....absolutely loved it, the end brought tears to my eyes, and i am not a big rah rah military patriotic guy. If i knew all the back stories of chris kyle and the inaccuracies i may not have liked it as much, glad i avoided it all

 

 

What you said is exactly why I avoided the real story prior to seeing the movie. I, like everyone else in the theater, was left with my mouth wide open and tears welling in my eyes. There were powerful moments in the movie. Regardless of their historical accuracy (lack thereof) they did what they were supposed to do.