"American sniper" the movie

[Davidson Deac II]

I read Lone Survivor and came away from that with a not so high opinion of Lutrell.  Sure, he seemed good at his job, but seemed extremely arrogant and ungrateful.

 

At my last command (amphibious squadron four aboard USS Kearsarge), we worked with some Seals.  I think arrogance is something they all have.  They are some of the best of the best, so maybe it just goes with the job. 

[CCS]

I've been reading the book and intend on watching the movie eventually. Chris Kyle kind of comes off as a bit of an insecure jackass. He's constantly bragging about how manly he is. It's a very interesting read but I'm taking most of it with a grain of salt. I just can't decide if he's a psychopath or he's doing all the chest puffing macho man poo because he's insecure and has a lot of guilt. In the very first chapter of the book he claims Iraqi's are all savages and he has no regrets in killing any of them. He didn't even feel like he was killing human's, it was more like animals. He also claims he would have loved to have killed every Muslim over there, which in essence makes him no better than the terrorists themselves. 

[Jangler]

I've been reading the book and intend on watching the movie eventually. Chris Kyle kind of comes off as a bit of an insecure jackass. He's constantly bragging about how manly he is. It's a very interesting read but I'm taking most of it with a grain of salt. I just can't decide if he's a psychopath or he's doing all the chest puffing macho man poo because he's insecure and has a lot of guilt. In the very first chapter of the book he claims Iraqi's are all savages and he has no regrets in killing any of them. He didn't even feel like he was killing human's, it was more like animals. He also claims he would have loved to have killed every Muslim over there, which in essence makes him no better than the terrorists themselves. 

 

well the movie didn't take that tone at all. He was portrayed as "a humble awwshucks just defending America" hero. which was really kind of boring. Over all as a movie it was alright.. I thought The Hurt Locker was better.

[Anybodyhome]

well the movie didn't take that tone at all. He was portrayed as "a humble awwshucks just defending America" hero. which was really kind of boring. Over all as a movie it was alright.. I thought The Hurt Locker was better.

 

Hurt Locker was very well done.

 

How would you rank it (Sniper) alongside "Lone Survivor," which made some rather significant departures from the book as well, mostly, I think, to add a little more action and create the "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" scene to end the movie on. 

[Chimera]

I thought Hurt Locker was horrible.

 

 

[Chimera]

OK so I just watch American Sniper. First, I want to say it is a LOT of movie packed into two hours and even though you know the ending, it is done in a way that can still hit you.

I was left wondering if the Syrian sniper Kyle had been chasing down was the notorious Juba of Baghdad. The time frame somewhat coincides with the time his videos stopped being released. (Time frame was summer 2008; I only know because I was there erecting the walls in Sadr City; just learned of this sniper situation today as I watched the movie)

[CCS]

well the movie didn't take that tone at all. He was portrayed as "a humble awwshucks just defending America" hero. which was really kind of boring. Over all as a movie it was alright.. I thought The Hurt Locker was better.

 

 

He's definitely not like that in the book. I mean, there's an element of that and that's probably how he would like you to view him. But he's a lot more complex than that and most of the fun of the book so far has been trying to dissect his mental state. I'm honestly leaning towards him being a sociopath at this point.

[Chimera]

I think the movie portrayal is a little deeper than Jangler's depiction. Major spoiler alert

The movie makes it clear he has a personal vendetta against a particular Syrian sniper protecting fighters in Iraq. Once he kills that sniper, he calls his wife and says he's ready to go home. The movie does a rushed job, but it does try to emphasize the mental instability of balancing combat and family while feeling his mission in life is incomplete. Once he leaves the military, the movie insinuates he doesn't have a purpose in life until he starts helping other veterans. The movie ends when he's taking a new guy to the range.

Having lived through some of that myself, maybe it is more clear to me what is happening. I think Eastwood wanted to expand into the mental aspect a little more, but the movie already lasts longer than two hours.

[Jackofalltrades]

I thought the movie was exceptional and despite having read the book and knowing his fate the end devastated me.

[Darth Biscuit]

Saw it last night with my dad... Enjoyed it.

It did feel a bit rushed at times telling his story. I didn't personally like the fact that Kyle referred to Iraqis as savages, but it did a good job of portraying the horror of war and the effects it can have on people.

At the end the theater was utterly silent which was the first time I've ever experienced that.

[party_animal]

Saw it last night with my dad... Enjoyed it.

It did feel a bit rushed at times telling his story. I didn't personally like the fact that Kyle referred to Iraqis as savages, but it did a good job of portraying the horror of war and the effects it can have on people.

At the end the theater was utterly silent which was the first time I've ever experienced that.

Dehumanizing the enemy is a common coping mechanism for service members.

The movie is good. It took a far different tone than I expected.

[Jackofalltrades]

Then again much of what those guys saw was savage behavior. He paints with a broad brush, but it's understandable.

[Chimera]

Michael Moore is weighing in (pun intended) on the movie. You know you've gotta see it now.

[h0llywood]

Dehumanizing the enemy is a common coping mechanism for service members.

The movie is good. It took a far different tone than I expected.

Not that i did but savages is too polite, ive heard them called worse