In a cinematic era where the majority of the box office champions belonged to an extended universe or long-running series, the success ofAmerican Sniperwas a welcome surprise.Clint Eastwood’s biographical war drama about the most decorated veteran in the history of the U.S. military,Chris Kyle, took the world by storm in late 2014 and early 2015, finishing as the highest-grossing filmreleased in 2014 domestically. With the conclusion of the Iraq War and the killing ofOsama bin Laden, Americans were ready to reflect on the tumultuous last decade that transpired in the wake of the September 11th attacks.
Despite its various thematic shortcomings,American Sniper, which is dominating the charts on Netflix, feels like the quintessential post-Iraq movie, an artistic statement that was simultaneously jingoistic and deeply pessimistic aboutour vision of patriotic heroism. As a film filled with contradictions, it was only right that it faced intense scrutiny for its reckless approach to fact-based storytelling.
Chris Kyle Was a Figure of Legend and Embellishment
Upon release,American Sniper, which received multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, signaled a stark divide between audiences and the media. The filmcaught lightning in a bottle, appealing to the often overlooked Red State audience, but critics were cautious of whether Eastwood had glorified or oversimplified the complicated life of Chris Kyle, soulfully dramatized on-screen byBradley Cooper. The film, adapted from Kyle’s best-selling memoir,does what most financially successful screen adaptations do: simplify the narrative and connect with the viewer on a primal level.By enhancing every moment with the maximum amount of tension and outlining clear character dynamics,American Sniperbecame a hit, but it became an object of antagonism for historians.
As an actor and director whomade his name off Westerns, where the legend takes precedence over the facts, Eastwood had the proper qualifications to realize the story of the late Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL who served multiple tours in Iraq, whose record was clouded in doubt. After the film’s release,The Interceptreportedthat Kyle’s military record was embellished, lying about the number of medals he received.Along with a handful of fabricated or dubious stories during his life, the public can only take the abstract interpretation of Kyle at face value. At its best,American Sniperthrives when it contrasts the broken soul of Kyle with his public perception as a valiant warrior.
‘American Sniper’ Simplifies Chris Kyle’s Story
Various scenes inAmerican Sniperare alsoembellished for dramatic purposes, which are often intended to make its subject more sympathetic than even Kyle’sown depiction of himselfin his memoir. Opening in media res, we see Kyle making the gut-wrenching decision to shoot a child running towards a marine convoy with a grenade, who was sent by a woman who handed him the weapon. In reality,there was only one woman during this incident, and the film vilifies her for sending a child to die.Although the marine’s wife, Taya Kyle (Sienna Miller), would hear sounds of combat over the phone, the scene where her phone call with Chris regarding the gender of their baby is interrupted by asudden firefight never occurred.
The film portrays the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings as the impetus for a young Kyle, working on a ranch without direction in life, to enlist in the SEALs. However, being raised by a father with strong Christian values and an affinity for firearms,Kyle always intended to join the armed forces following school.His dramatized portrait on screen portrays him as a humble everyman just trying to nobly serve his country, while, in his book, he talks about murder and gunfighting as the ultimate thrill, reportedlydescribing killing as “fun.“The film is unafraid to show Kyle as aloof, disturbed, and selfish, but its message suggests that his behavior and disposition were justified because of his service.
‘American Sniper’ Portrays the Iraq War as a Battle Between Good and Evil
On the battlefield, the film’s central dramatic arc revolves around a “rivalry” between Kyle and a fellow sniper on the other side named Mustafa (Sammy Sheik). Kyle engages in Western stand-offs with Mustafa, a former Olympic marksman, and he becomes his White Whale. In the book, not only does Mustafa barely receive any acknowledgment, butKyle admits that he never encountered him. WhenSteven Spielbergwasfirst attached to directAmerican Sniper, he increased Mustafa’s presence and narrative importance, citing him as a reflection of Kyle, and this element carried over to Eastwood.
In the film, Kyle’s fourth tour revolves around seeking revenge against Mustafa after shooting his friend, Biggles (Jake McDorman), who dies soon after. In real life, Biggles lived long enough to attend college, begin a career, and get married after the war. Another extremely vilified enemy figure, coined as “The Butcher,” someone who tortures children in front of their families, was fictitious. Coming from Eastwood, whohumanized the opposing foreign nationin his WWII film,Letters from Iwo Jima, theretrograde depiction of the Iraqi soldiers was a letdown for critics, and it discredited the movie as a nuanced portrait of war and PTSD.
American Sniperalso faced criticism for itsblack-and-white depiction of the war, with its treatment of the Iraqi military feeding into Chris Kyle’s own beliefs, who referred to them as “savages” in his memoir. Unpacking the truth about Kyle and his complicated life with more clarity can be found inother nonfiction publications, butClint Eastwood’s film captures the spirit of Kyle’s legacy.To its credit, the film excises many of the formative moments in Kyle’s life, from his childhood to his non-Iraq SEALs experience, which are moments that, in other biopics, would come off as cliché.
Eastwood uses the spine of Kyle’s story totell a morality fable, and whether the director condones or condemns the subject’s actions is a decision left to the viewer’s judgment, even if the film indicates that Eastwood greatly reveres Kyle’s contributions. Even if you disagree with the film’s message or intentions,American Sniperforces viewers to reckon with the fact that the heroes our government and society prop up are ones who have killed upwards of 150 people.
