American Sniper

maximillian

To be honest I haven't followed any of this so I am as ignorant as PFB. However, it only took a few minutes of watching the trailer and reading the Wiki posted earlier to know that my ignorance is personally embarrassing. I can understand PFB's initial flippant remark about "spoilers". But after seeing the trailer and reading the wiki, I would simply apologize to the forum for my comments. Instead all we get is a bunch of "lol's".

Here's the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99k3u9ay1gs

Just the scenes starting at the 1 minute mark makes you understand the gravity of what Chris Kyle did. The comment of "they hang you if you're wrong" seems trivial at first, but when you think about it makes you really appreciate that we have people like him defending us.

Can't wait to see this movie now.

ZLTFUL

The thing that people don't realize about men and women like this is that they aren't in it for the glory. They don't look at it as killing a person but protecting their comrades and their country from an enemy.

Most men and women of the armed forces are actually embarrassed by people thanking them in public. Not that they don't appreciate it but that they don't do it for the recognition. They do it to protect their family, friends and country. Bottom line.

nooshinjohn

Just got back from seeing it again, this time looking at some of the details in the story that were overlooked for the sake of expediency. Overall, I think Mr. Eastwood did a damn good job telling the story, but I wish he would have let the film run a bit longer and go into a bit of detail about what Kyle had to do to get into the Navy to begin with... Lifted from another source.

"Chris Kyle was born in Odessa, TX, in 1974. As a child, he hunted deer and birds with his father before joining his high school's baseball and football teams. As the movie shows, he became a professional bronco rider in the rodeo after graduating. While the film showcases Chris's desire to protect his country, it doesn't include the fact that he actually quit the rodeo because of a severe arm injury. After his arm healed, he tried to sign up for the US Marine Corps, but he was rejected because of the pins in his arm. He was also initially rejected from the Navy SEALS but was accepted in 1999."

xjghost

Amazing book and a great adaptation. Theater was packed on Sunday when I went with the GF to see it. It was silent when the movie was done. Go see it if you haven't already.

obieone

LOL, NOTHING can prepare you for the military, unless maybe, you grew up in military housing. You can watch all the documentaries, and talk to vets, but, until you're actually in, it won't click.
And no, I never served in combat, I'm talking about the whole commitment and lifestyle aspect.
BTW, if anyone want's to experience a taste of BUD/S, there is a retired SEAL in Chesapeake, VA, that runs "SEAL Experience". His name is Don Shipley, and he has a channel on YT(Buds 131), where aside from glimpses into his training classes, he also exposes fake SEAL's.

krabby5

Polkie2009 wrote: »

Or maybe Bradley Cooper finally woke up and realized that freedom isn't free. We owe it all to those brave men and women who serve, have served and have made the ultimate sacrifice of shedding their blood at the alter of freedom.

"finally woke up?" Please explain. This should be good.

krabby5

nooshinjohn wrote: »

He should, but he won't because the backlash here in Hollywierd against this film's very existence is massive. There is a mailer campaign encouraging Academy members to vote for anything else BUT this film.

If it were a foreign language film called "Afgan Sniper" or "Iraqi Sniper", and told from the enemy's point of view, It would win for every category it would be nominated in.

Such is the sorry state of affairs in LaLa Land, and why I go to so few movies.

yer probably right...unfortunately

polkfarmboy

This thread is super touchy and all getting blown out of proportion. Krabby just drop it and enough with the nit picking son.

tonyb

polkfarmboy wrote: »

This thread is super touchy and all getting blown out of proportion. Krabby just drop it and enough with the nit picking son.

Blown out of proportion is what every one does these days. The whole point though, is that freedom requires sacrifices from time to time by men and women you'll never know of. This movie is just one man's story, of countless others. There should be great pride and teachings in these stories. Clint has done many movies on war, keeps the politics out of them and focuses on the people involved while still getting a message across.

You can agree or disagree with the politics of war, but the men and women in the military have no such luxury.

drumminman

Saw the movie and enjoyed it. What I got out of it: it's not about politics, it's not a jingoistic movie. It's about what being in combat does to people. I read that Chris Kyle's wife, Taya, stated that she thought it was very well done, especially in the way it portrayed the emotional issues combat vets face when they return.

krabby5

I couldn't agree more, TonyB. The "he finally woke up" remark just bugged me. Has nothing to do with this thread. Can't wait to see this movie.

nooshinjohn

krabby5 wrote: »

I couldn't agree more, TonyB. The "he finally woke up" remark just bugged me. Has nothing to do with this thread. Can't wait to see this movie.

Krabby, forget about PFB and anything he ever has to say. Now that the thread is back on topic, I expected he would try one of his patented redirects and try to stir the pot again.

If the conversation is not about him after he posts in a thread, then he goes off to a corner and cries.

Dennis Gardner

Still sold out crowds in my small town almost a week after release. I'm glad for the movie's success, just wish the awards would follow.....

Jimbo18

I haven't seen the movie, just trailers, so I wonder what those of you that have seen it, think of this article.
http://www.vox.com/2015/1/22/7859791/american-sniper-iraq

shawn474

i read the book and saw the movie. It's pretty damn impressive what guys like this do and how they go about it. As mentioned earlier, they don't do it for the glory; they do it to protect and because of their patriotism. I think often times their egos get misconstrued - their egos are the very things that make them so successful at what they do. And ego is often thrown around as a bad thing when it really isn't.

The ONLY two things that missed from the movie was the ending. I really think they could have done more to "explain" his death and the circumstances that led to it. He was killed giving back to the people who were in the same situation - confused, depressed and really having trouble to adjust to life after the war. Just after he gets to place of peace, his life is taken. But the movie fails to mention that there was another person, a friend of Chris', that was killed at the range that day too. The movie only mentions Chris. Just thought going into more detail and mentioning the other gentleman killed would have been appropriate.

The other thing was how the role of the Butcher was so prominent in the movie. There was a character in the book that was similar to the butcher but was much less important in real life vs. the movie. Just seemed like this was a part of the movie that they played up to make it more Hollywood.

nooshinjohn

I read your article, and it is nothing but complete rubbish. I am under no illusion of what the Iraq war is or was... it was what I call a noble mistake, in that the actionable intel that we had along with the intel of every government on earth was that WMD existed, and there was wholesale manufacturing of more taking place. Let's not forget that those weapons were used on their own people. Further, let's not forget that everyone that was opposing the Iraq war was crying at the top of their lungs about how evil the first George was for not doing more to stop their use on the Kurds and other groups.

This movie however, is NOT about the Iraq War or what you(the author of your little article) THINK it was. It is about the experiences of ONE man with a mission of such overwhelming importance and the incredible burden it places on that sole individual, and as important, what id does to their families. His job is not one I could ever have done. I was a Marine F/A-18 wrench, but I too would have needed men like Chris to keep me from taking a permanent dirt nap in such an environment.

From the perspective of the boots on the ground, to a man, they see their job as to do or die. From the perspective of a guy like Chris Kyle, charged with trying to protect the lives of those boots on the ground by providing concealed, precision cover fire and support, he would have seen everything as clearly black and white. If he saw any shade of grey at all, that grey would have been the brain matter of those he was trying to save, and to guys like CPO Kyle, failure to do his duty was never an option.

I love how all these MoH video-combat professors seem to know more about a soldiers life and their roles than the professional Soldier does. Movie reviews that show such disdain for those that serve really tick me off, because I know more than a few that have shed their blood so these guys can show their idiocy while they maintain the cover of their protective keyboards, which they cling to like they are made of Kevlar.

Personally, I was hoping the movie would be told from the perspective of Chris being counselled by a psychiatric professional and show the war in flashback fashion and allow for more of the personal and inter-family dynamic to be told. As it was however, it was a great film and told well.

Jimbo18

Well said, nooshinjohn. I intend to see it for myself, just haven't made it yet.

I spent 4 years in the USAF and the Vietnam war was still going on when I entered. I never had to go to a combat zone, however, but would have been glad to have someone helping to keep me safe, if I had.

ZLTFUL

Jimbo18 wrote: »

I haven't seen the movie, just trailers, so I wonder what those of you that have seen it, think of this article.
http://www.vox.com/2015/1/22/7859791/american-sniper-iraq

Vox is an editorial opinion website. What do I think of the article? It's a bunch of horsesh!t. Plain and simple.
I agree with John that while there were mistakes made, the reasoning was noble and the movie isn't about the war in Iraq. The movie is about Chris Kyle and his experiences.

As for the reason that more detail wasn't given in his death, it is still a pending case in the courts. Notice that they didn't even make mention of the suspect's name? Unfortunately, due process is one of those things that Chris Kyle fought for and even the suspect deserves it.

seabeerob213

DSkip wrote: »

ZLTFUL wrote: »

The thing that people don't realize about men and women like this is that they aren't in it for the glory. They don't look at it as killing a person but protecting their comrades and their country from an enemy.

Most men and women of the armed forces are actually embarrassed by people thanking them in public. Not that they don't appreciate it but that they don't do it for the recognition. They do it to protect their family, friends and country. Bottom line.

Dealing with high school kids daily, this is one of the things I stress. I get too many kids who want to join because they ignorantly think it's the only way to pay for college. It gets under my skin because that isn't why you join the armed forces. If they immediately respond with the desire to serve our country, I smile and say ok, good answer.

Games like cod glorify it and I think the kids don't fully grasp what they are signing up for just to 'pay for college'.

Try working alongside people who are only in for benefits, makes me wanna throw things at them, like the snake or plunger while unclogging drains.

xjghost

Jimbo18 wrote: »

I haven't seen the movie, just trailers, so I wonder what those of you that have seen it, think of this article.
http://www.vox.com/2015/1/22/7859791/american-sniper-iraq

IMHO vile crap......

This is what you need to know about this movie.....

http://toprightnews.com/?p=8056

westmassguy

Just watched it. Very moving. I suppose some men and women can comeback and just pick up their lives again, which is a miracle in itself. I can't imagine the struggle others go through, just to maintain their sanity. God bless all who serve.

drumminman

The article cited above, like several other reviews I've read, misses the point by a wide margin. This was not a political movie, it was a movie about primarily one guy, what he did in the war and how it affected him and his family. Regardless of the reasons he became a SEAL, they were his reasons and his beliefs - It was his story.

I thought Eastwood did a great job with the subject matter. As to the invented character named the Butcher, scriptwriters do this all the time to increase tension/drama/whatever. What else would our guys call him? Wonder what the Iraqis called CPO Kyle? Bet the translation would be censored here on the forum.

Like WMG stated, it's a wonder most combat vets can return and get on with their lives.

ZLTFUL

drumminman wrote: »

Wonder what the Iraqis called CPO Kyle?

His nickname, given by the insurgents, and one he carried with pride, was "Shaitan Al-Ramadi" or "The Devil of Ramadi"

nooshinjohn

drumminman wrote: »

I thought Eastwood did a great job with the subject matter. As to the invented character named the Butcher, scriptwriters do this all the time to increase tension/drama/whatever. What else would our guys call him? Wonder what the Iraqis called CPO Kyle? Bet the translation would be censored here on the forum.

There were many such sadistic jackholes on the loose in post-Saddam Iraq, and they did actually have a few guys on the hunt for CPO Kyle. On more than one occasion, they came close to getting him. The bounty for taking him out was well north of 20k when he left combat operations after his 4th tour.

The "Butcher" was more or less a combination of several bad guys rolled into one for sake of storytelling.

This should help sort out fact from fiction...

http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/american-sniper/

ZLTFUL

nooshinjohn wrote: »

The bounty for taking him out was 80k when he left combat operations after his 4th tour.

Fixed it for you.
It started at 15k and was at 80k when he left the ToO.

nooshinjohn

My fningers is Dyslexyc ToDaY.

BlueFox

Out of curiosity, other than knowing a sniper exists, how would the Iraqi insurgents know who the sniper actually is? Also, I assume we have more than one sniper.

Msabot1

Yea...his name is Carlos Hathcock....AKA..White Feather....Hardly no recognition for that man...except in certain circles...

nooshinjohn

Msabot1 wrote: »

Yea...his name is Carlos Hathcock....AKA..White Feather....Hardly no recognition for that man...except in certain circles...

There are hundreds of snipers that are legendary within the community... most prefer that they are never known.

[Deleted User]

So I take my wife to this movie thinking it's
about Hair Stylists. Imagine our surprise.
American Snipper indeed.