American Sniper came out over the weekend and drew huge crowds. The movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, follows the story of Chris Kyle, the Navy Seal sniper with the most confirmed kills in U.S. military history. In its nationwide opening, it brought in over $90 million. But those are just numbers. Does the movie really live up to the hype, or is it just another stereotypical war movie?
I’ve spent four years sitting through war movies with my guy. Don’t get me wrong, they’re moving and incredible, but after a while, they start to look the same. I expected the same going into American Sniper, but I gave it a chance because it was different on the surface. This movie is Oscar-nominated, and it has Bradley Cooper who happens to be one of my favorite actors. Oh, and I did not know the real life story of Chris Kyle and was surprised at every turn, so I’m going to avoid major spoilers here in case there’s anyone left who doesn’t know what happens.
The movie opens with Chris Kyle behind the gun faced with a difficult decision. Before he pulls the trigger, we flash back to his childhood. We learn about him growing up in Texas and wanting to become a cowboy and how he ends up signing up for the Navy Seals. So far, good, but nothing spectacular.
The movie continues and we watch Chris go through his training, meet his wife, get married, and go to war. Then we catch up to where the movie started and we see Chris make his first kill and wrestle with what it means. The movie moves fast, one minute you see Chris’s son born and then suddenly that son is a preschooler and they’re going to see a newborn baby girl in the hospital. I understand why the movie moves fast—it’s a lot of life to cover—but the way it was done seemed a little choppy. Regardless, it didn’t stop me from being enthralled and emotional.
Speaking of the babies, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the fake baby they used. I hate to beat a dead horse but this was a VERY fake baby. It was an emotional scene. Chris’s wife Taya is talking to Chris about how when he’s home he’s not really home and how she doesn’t want him to go on another tour. The whole time I’m distracted by this baby. This is not an exaggeration. I actually leaned over and said something to the group I was with to make sure it wasn’t just me being a snob. They agreed. HOWEVER we have gotten a response to the fake baby from a screenwriter and executive producer. According to Jason Hall, the first real baby had a fever and the second didn’t show up. Lesson: hire three babies.
While American Sniper does document the life of an incredible hero, it documents even better the effect war has on even the greatest of heroes and their families. First, can I just say that military wives are incredible? Taya Kyle was raising two kids, not only on her own, but on her own while her husband was risking his life day after day halfway around the world. What was great about American Sniper was the way it showed how Taya dealt with Chris’s absence in a human way. She got angry. She asked why he was doing it. That doesn’t make her weak or horrible. It makes her human. Sometimes these movies don’t show the human emotion that would come from anyone put in the same situation. She went through so much when Chris was gone. The scene where Taya calls to tell Chris they’re having a boy and the call gets interrupted by gunfire? Yeah, that actually happened, only, in real life, it took Chris five days to call back. The portrayal of the human and heroic Taya Kyle was one of the best things about the movie.
Not only did Taya go through a lot when Chris was gone, she had to deal with him not truly being home when he was in their house. The other great thing about American Sniper is it shows the real effect that war has. That’s what American Sniper did best: addressing the fact that PTSD can affect anyone. It’s not shameful and it’s definitely treatable.
After helping himself, Chris helped others. When he came home, he started a company installing exercise equipment in vets’ homes. In addition, he would simply hang out with veterans, taking them to shooting ranges and talking to them about experiences. He helped many veterans fully come home.
According to the PTSD foundation of American, 1 in 3 soldiers returning home are diagnosed with PTSD symptoms, but less than 40% actually seek help. This could maybe be because they feel like it makes them weak, maybe they’re protecting loved ones, or whatever the reason. American Sniper normalizes the issue and makes it a topic that’s out in the open and okay.
Jacob Schick, a retired Marine that makes an appearance in the movie, told People magazine, “For any warrior who is struggling mentally, or even the families who go see this film, if they see, ‘Wow if a guy like Chris Kyle could struggle and get help, then I need to do it also; he was so full of pride but he felt like he couldn’t fight these demons on his own’—then I think this movie might push a warrior or at the family of a warrior away from the edge.”
So, bottom line, whether you like the way the movie was filmed, if you hate the fake baby, or feel like it’s just another war movie, it still has addressed an issue that is not addressed nearly enough. For that reason and for Bradley Cooper’s incredible portrayal of sniper Chris Kyle, American Sniper is worthy of an Oscar.