The Good
If you haven't been living under a rock for the past few weeks you've either seen American Sniper or, at the very least, read what some Hollywood douche bag thought of the film. I read the book a couple of years ago, so I already had a pretty good idea of what I might be getting myself into when I sat down in the theater to watch it. What I got was something completely different, but not necessarily in a bad way... just different.
There's a reason the movie is killing it at the box office right now. It has everything people in the States need to see in a movie - action, emotion, and a hefty dash of good old 'Murican patriotism. Bradley Cooper's performance is a strong one and he hits on a wide range of dramatics, everything from 1980s Stallonian badassery to mushy, chick-flickish, panty dropping charm (cuz female audiences). Sienna Miller's iteration of Kyle's wife, Taya, was slightly less amazing, but not catastrophic to the film. In short, she did a good job. Her character's transition from hard-assed, whiskey swilling bar chick, to perfect military mommy felt rushed and shallow, but that was probably more the fault of the writers than of Miller. I'm not even that pressed about it, though, because they had the task of cramming a massive amount of information and progression into a very strict time limit.
There's tons of clever, ball busting (albeit macho-dude-bro'ish) dialogue that delivered on the chuckles even during some fairly intense moments throughout and the special effects are exactly what you'd expect in this day and age. You'll get your fair share of sniper-scope shooting scenes, fully automatic and frantic firefights, along with a few gory bits here and there. Overall, the movie delivers on what movies are supposed to deliver on - entertainment. It's a damned good ride from beginning to end, evenly paced, and nail bitingly intense at the right times.
The Bad
I'm not sure I liked the way most of the actual kills were approached. For a movie that supposedly prided itself on the realities of war, most of the kills weren't very realistic. I hate to ruin it for everyone, but when people are fatally shot, they don't always just fall over dead. Sure, they might drop, but many times they're writhing in agony as they wait to bleed out, screaming in horrified pain, or twitching as nerve responses refuse to stop just because the heart has been exploded. Instead, it's like the film makers chose to terrify us with not just one, but two scenes of innocent children (relatively speaking) being killed. I mean if you're going to take the time to write these powerful and realistic scenes, then let them play out as they would in the real world. Go to Youtube, search "Syria sniper", or something like it, and watch the real deal. You'll see what I mean.
The infamous baby prop... oh, man... that shit was awful. There's a scene in which Kyle/ Cooper is supposedly holding his infant child in his arms, but it is obviously the worst doll prop ever. Worst. Ever. I totally understand why they would choose a prop in this instance, but fuck-me-sideways... With the budget this movie had, they could've done a helluva lot better than buying a Little Baby Puke-n'-Poop doll from Target.
My final beef has to do with the actual terrorists, insurgents, savages (or whatever the fuck you wanna call 'em). The execution of these men, pardon the pun, left a lot to be desired. Pretty much every person in the movie deemed a "bad guy" wore black, the universal calling card of movie "eeeevil". Also, I've seen my fair share of terrorist assholes. Not very many of those had the perfectly groomed facial hair, and square, statuesque jawline of a Calvin Kline model. Also, I didn't hear one single "Aloha Snackbar" in the entire movie. Again, Mr. Eastwood, you have to pick a side: Either go full realism, or don't. You can't just stand in the middle, content to show these "savages" torturing children, yet too afraid to offend a Muslim by calling it like you see it. Don't bullshit me, man. I know these motherfuckers scream that "Allahu Akbar" shit endlessly during a fight.
The Point
It doesn't matter what your stance is with regards to war, the Iraq occupation, et al. It doesn't matter what your view of the American Military is. Your personal politics have no place here. That's what has me most baffled by the vast majority of reactions to the film thus far. So many people are approaching this thing like it was meant to be a commentary on US intervention, or a propaganda piece, or a trumped up action movie based on real events, blah blah blah... I feel like all of these people are missing something huge here.
This movie has made a very valiant effort to illustrate what PTSD and living as a warrior can do to not only the fighter, but the people who love that fighter back home. It tells us, with stark realism, that there is a warrior class among us that will fight and die for something they believe in at whatever cost, regardless of whether or not you believe in what they are fighting for. And it tries very hard to show us the effects of that lifestyle from both sides... the sacrifices of the men and women on the field of battle as well as the sacrifices of their loved ones who wait anxiously for their return, hoping that the same person they love still exists after the horrors of war.
It's a hard pill to swallow. It's difficult for the average citizen to imagine what it's like for these men after the fighting has ceased. We see a piece of cardboard on the side of the road and simply assume it's some trash that blew out of a pickup truck. The soldier can't help but to have the possibility that it's an IED nagging in the corners of their mind, even when logic dictates otherwise. You can't just flip an imaginary switch and turn off the killer instincts of one who has spent every waking second of the last year of their life trying not to violently die, killing to not be killed.
Nor can we easily grasp what it's like to be the spouse, home alone raising children, going through the daily motions of life and worrying about the same things everyone else worries about all the while expecting the call at any time that the love of their life will never come back to them. Or, worse yet, they will return, but they will be different. They could be scarred beyond recognition physically... they could be moody and violent... they could be numb and emotionless... cold.
To me, that's the point of the film and they pulled it off. Unless you've lived it, you won't understand it, but at least you can get the idea. War is a motherfucker. Sure, you can criticize the movie. But if you haven't been to war, then you're in no position to speak a fucking word about the people who have fought and died for your right to spew some half-cocked shit.
- Steve Kuhn
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