Review of American Sniper (2014) by Tonto — 18 Jun 2021
Clint Eastwood's American Sniper is probably the best movie featuring the War on Terror that has been made. In it, our hero, Chris Kyle played by Bradley Cooper is presented as a young man growing up in Texas and we see that his girlfriend is cheating on him.
Later, he meets his beautiful wife played by Sienna Miller in a bar. We see Chris Kyle react to the September 11th attacks and he enlists in the military to fight terrorists in the middle east. Kyle is deployed in Iraq and we see his escapades as the most deadly sniper in the U.
S. military. Iraq had been listed as a State sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. since 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Iraq had also been on the list from 1979 to 1982; it was removed so that the U.
S. could provide material support to Iraq in its war with Iran. Hussein's regime had proven to be a problem for the UN and Iraq's neighbors due to its use of chemical weapons against Iranians and Kurds in the 1980s.
The Iraq War began in March 2003 with an air campaign, which was immediately followed by a U.S.-led ground invasion. The Bush administration cited UNSC Resolution 1441, which warned of "serious consequences" for violations such as Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction.
The Bush administration also stated the Iraq war was part of the War on Terror, as Saddam Hussein was a radical Sunni muslim, leader of the Baathist party who may have had ties to Al-Queda. The movie is gripping, and you're pulling for Kyle who is tough and gallant.
One criticism I have of the movie is it doesn't show many airstrikes, it only features one in the entire movie, when I know we bombed the hell out of Iraq. But it wants to focus on the sniping on the ground so its acceptable.
The movie can get pretty exciting and intense. There are some cool action sequences with American marines going up against terrorists. The movie does a good job depicting PTSD caused by the trauma of war, as Kyle has to deal with these problems after his exploits in the middle east.
There is a well-directed scene at a barbeque where Kyle freaks out with a dog and it disturbs his wife. The movie ends tragically, as we are told Chris Kyle is killed by a mentally disturbed veteran he was trying to help.
Overall, a good tribute to an American although controversial, was virtuous and a hero.
This review of American Sniper (2014) was written by Tonto on 18 Jun 2021.
American Sniper has generally received positive reviews.
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