American Sniper

Been wanting to see this again. Good price.

Good story about American war hero, Chris Kyle. Chris fought the brave & honorable fight in Iraq on each of his four deployments, only to return home to battle a wife who threatens to leave him. Five stars to Mr. Kyle- may he rest in peace. Four stars to Clint Eastwood. In my opinion, Clint Eastwood has redeemed himself just a little with this movie since irreverently revising Flags of our Fathers (a great book about those who fought on Iwo Jima) and reducing this great historical narrative to a CNN-like "teachable moment." Eastwood dishonorably morphed Flags of Our Fathers into his personal political project aimed against the post 9-11 Bush Administration. To Eastwood's credit in American Sniper, he attempts to humanize the opposing Iraqi sniper who dogs Kyle and his comrades throughout the movie. Eastwood carefully drops hints that this faceless Iraqi assassin deserves sympathy because he is a family man too, and had a life before the war. Humanizing the enemy rounds out the character. So think of the story now as the hunter being hunted. Read the novel, Enemy at the Gates, or watch the movie and see what I mean.Clint, keep making movies that are true to their story and leave your political statements at the door of the Democratic Convention. Other than that, how about bringing back Dirty Harry?

Wasn't sure about watching another sniper movie, but this one is outstanding. Great acting and story and Eastwood did his usual awesome job directing and producing this movie.I never expected the ending and it brought tears to this old mans eyes. What a tragic loss of a true hero and great father.Will definitely watch again!

As most of us have heard, War Is Hell, and this film brings that realization up to the fore. What we see are the blood and gore, and a little of the emotional damage done to our troops. Four tours, how in God's name does anyone think this makes any kind of sense. Killing day after day takes it's toll.Chris Kyle is called a hero, but what are we glorifying, a man who has killed 160 people. How could one man accept this, how could he live with it. Well, he put it to one side, saying that he was saving others. I can't help but believe that Chris Kyle would have had difficulty his entire life, if his life hadn't been taken by another soldier, what irony. This is a sad story of what war has done to one man.Bradley Cooper has done an amazing character reenactment. I don't think, however, enough time was spent on the emotional ravages of wars of four tours of duty. 1,000 days in the life of a man. I hope we never see another film like this. 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Let's help.prisrob- 05-25-15

Good movie. I’ve seen it before but still good

This movie was probably the BEST true story movie I've ever watched!! I love true stories. Chris was a TRUE HERO!! Because of Military People like him, the American people as a whole should give Thanks to God for them and what they do every single day. As we go about our day of our busy lives, we should stop for a minute & remember all the MEN & WOMEN WHO FOUGHT TO KEEP US FREE!! We should also be grateful for the families of our HEROES FOR THEIR SACRIFICE AS WELL!! I would like to say THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR ALL WHO SERVE, HAVE SERVED & WILL SERVE THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY OF OURS TO KEEP US SAFE!! CHRIS WAS A GREAT MAN!! What he did for veterans was inspiring!! I couldn't believe that after FOUR TOURS of the HORRIBLE, TERRIFYING WAR ZONE he was MURDERED BY ONE OF OUR OWN!! I sat in DISBELIEF for several minutes with tears streaming down my face! All of our veterans NEED OUR HELP in one way or another. WE SHOULD DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO SUPPORT OUR MEN & WOMEN OF THE MILITARY!! We can't even imagine the HORROR THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH! The next time you pass a HOMELESS PERSON ON THE STREET, PLEASE DONT LOOK AT THEM LIKE THEY ARE SCUM...........THAT PERSON COULD HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN ONE OFOUR HEROES!!

As a depiction of an actual person, I felt it was lacking. If you forget this was about someone who actually lived and experienced events similar to what was shown, and if coming from a mindset of it being nothing more than story-telling, then this was a great production.But when I think of what it might have been like to actually have been that person, I didn't get enough of a sense of realism, rawness, pain, torment. Perhaps it's Eastwood's style, perhaps it's to cater to the American audience, perhaps I'm coming from the wrong place. I've seen enough European and Korean movies to see what it's like to see the ugliness and pain of humanity depicted, so perhaps that's it. I think I was hoping this movie focused more on his PTSD and/or what it is really like to be accountable for that many lives and to continue doing so over and over again - both sides of that idea, that is (accountable for those he murdered, accountable for those in his units murdered when he didn't "do his job" well enough or fast enough)... and of course all this when he knows his own life is at risk with every moment. I guess what I'm looking for is a movie that really does that.Great movie. See it. Bradley becomes a character once again impeccably. Another happy rental and on my recommendation list.

I hate that he was killed, seemed like cool people

This is a tough movie, but worthy of viewing. The redemptive parts of the movie for me, aside from all the necessary sniping to protect the Marines in Iraq, are 1) how he began to come back emotionally to his wife and children after his years of 4 tours of duty, 2) his admission to the psychiatrist that his major emotional problem was grief over the Marines whose lives he could not save (for which he felt guilty, reminding us of Schindler's List), and 3) his devotion to wounded soldiers at his home area after active service. It takes a dead person to not weep when the motorcade for his funeral on a rainy day wheels down the Interstate and into Texas Stadium, which Jerry Jones had made available to the thousands who attended his funeral. Texas withheld no honor from this exceptional Seal.Such movies like that need to be made. To some such heroes seem simplistic and over glamorized by the movie, but the story is none the less valid and its messages none the less valid to many Americans. I have had family die in the Marines service in both WW II and Viet Nam. I myself have never served in the military. I am retired clergy. However, my brother and my uncle gave everything up for service to this country. Maybe I have an inside track on appreciating sacrifice for this country..

The reviews for this movie was mixed so I wasnt expecting the movie to be as good as it was.I will be watching it again.My son is in the US NAVY and it changes the way you think about the military to a level that can give you emotions when watching a movie like this.I am so proud of my son and the sacrifices that our military has made over the years. There are other soldiers whose story should be told. The PJ's are another that should be told. This soldier in this movie should be remembered and never ever forgotten as well as the others that were placed in his branch of snipers. This mo ie I believe showed the effect that it can take over in thier lives. I have a much much broader understanding of the struggles these soldiers go thru when they come home. So the next time you see a soldier a hand shake or a wave to acknowlege the sacrifices they made or will make in the future is so deserved.To the wife and kids that this soldier left behind your husband is and will always be a hero for the soldiers lives he was able to save and the choices he had to make in saving the lives he did. This military mom is thankful that you gave permission for his story to be told.