American Sniper (Blu-ray)

I avoided watching this movie for many years because the story cuts too close to home for me and my own similar experiences. I had no interest in reliving those experiences, and I especially had no interest in having them shamelessly glorified by Hollywood's exploitation of "patriotism."Although the movie was very hard for me to watch, I found it to be incredibly well-done. It was balanced in the questions of morality, mental health, and common American of the trauma its "heroes" go through. Eastwood's portrayal of a young patriot's evolution as he battles demons in war, at home, and inside himself is spot on.In watching the movie, I was forced to deal with dark thoughts from the past, but there was some sort of healing that came from feeling that this movie is evidence of a shift in the American perspective on war. So many well-meaning Americans people are quick to "Thank you for your service", without knowing how triggering and often depressing such a statement can be to "heroes" in pain. Some people never made it home; those who did must live with the memories of those who didn't and with the guilt over actions that are only ever justified in war. This kind of hell was nicely captured in Cooper's portrayal of Kyle's struggles when coming home.From a technical standpoint, the acting is strong, cinematography is realistic and immersive.

After the first ten minutes of “American Sniper” I could think about nothing but “Moby Dick,” Melville’s great American novel about one man’s consuming obsession that is at once an expression of American Puritanism and of the individualism and industry of those who exhibit a heroic nature that defies the confines of serving a landlocked, limiting community in favor of “living the dream” of the liberated, adventurous, new-world self. At the beginning of Melville's epic, quintessentially American, novel, we hear a sermon that will frame the story and identify its central protagonist by seeming to condemn to everlasting damnation those who would follow such a course.“American Sniper” offers in place of the stirring rhetoric and evangelical fervor of Melville’s fire-and-brimstone preacher—whose message shaming the rising tides of the Godless-flesh seems betrayed by the passion of its expression—a humble meditation delivered in a small country church by a pastor-shepherd who speaks conversationally and tentatively about the mystery of God’s infinite wisdom and the need for intellectual humility on the part of those who comprise His flock and wait upon His Grace. Though there’s no comparison with the imaginative eloquence and resonating power of the Puritan preacher’s sermon that helps explain and shape Ahab's journey, the pastoral offering of the country preacher serves a similar function in helping us undrstand Chris Kyle’s singular and single-minded attraction to Iraq.The message of the film's minister is lost on Mr. Kyle, Sr. and on his bored and noticeably restless son, Chris.. In its place, the head of the Kyle household drills into his two quaking sons a dogmatic, absolutist text of his own, based upon his reductive tripartite division of humanity into three types: sheep, wolves, and wolf-dogs. It should be noted that Kyle Sr. makes no mention of the Savior of humanity in Christian literature and theology, who is characterized in the New Testament not as a “wolf dog” but as the “good Shepherd,” and whose guidance becomes vital to the salvation of his flock, which consists of all human beings in creation, since all are equal in the eyes of God the Father. Such a mild message of peace is lost on Mr. Kyle, who stresses the importance of not merely “righting” every personal wrong but of “finishing off” the wolf who brought injury upon you, your family and friends. Throughout "American Sniper" we will witness the indelible effect of the father's message upon the son, who imagines he will not be fully worthy of his father's blessings until he has "finished off" the last obstructive wolf dog.By Chris’ 2nd and 3rd tours of Iraq, it’s clear that his wife, his own brother, and even some of his former comrades have become disillusioned by a heartless and pointless war. Chris Kyle’s “kill count” and the recreation it affords his buddies, who at least can take pleasure in bragging about their company’s sharpshooting celebrity, is what gives Kyle’s buddies some light moments in an otherwise hopeless, purposeless war. And when Kyle’s best friend is shot, the assignation of America's best kill-shot to a rival sharpshooter with Olympian skills (and a suitably picturesque nick-name: “The Butcher”) sets up the final confrontation as certainly as Ahab’s last run at the Great White. Kyle’s buddies have by now begun to make a game of who deserves the most credit as Chris' biggest PR agent in Iraq, But it's never a game for Chris, who is now set up to finish off “The Butcher”—or be finished off himself. This personal vendetta consumes him at the expense of everything else.When Kyle delivers the 2-mile kill shot (does any one check to verify that it hits its mark?), he gives away his regiment’s location, attracting much unfriendly fire. But at this moment of personal validation, he's acts as though he's invulnerable to the exploding armaments all around him (reminding me of Robert Duvall's surfing American officer in Coppola's "Apocalypse Now") and calls his wife, shouting that he's coming home. The quest had apparently become so personal that, by the time Chris "finishes off" the "Butcher," the mission is complete without the dispatching of any more wolf dogs.Throughout the film we see the indelible effect of the father’s message on the son, and the viewer is left to wonder if the end of the film is a conventional hero’s welcome or a problematic tribute admitting some criticism of a soldier who not only took his heroism too seriously but did so at the expense of the sheep whose internal injuries could represent no less a threat to him than the Iraqi opposition. And how important is his “showdown” with “The Butcher” if it leads to prideful defiance of death and abandonment of the soldiers who still count on his protection? (Ironically, in a conversation with the psychiatrist at the vets' hospital he insists that he suffers only from a regret that he didn't protect more of his men.) At best, the hero's “homecoming” invites different interpretations, even apart from the death that awaits him on a shooting range.The film may indeed be patriotic and sincere in its admiration of its protagonist, but it’s also more layered and complex than many viewers appear willing to allow. A study of Eastwood’s other films, which frequently deal with the search for an authentic male identity, would provide a clearer view. But better yet, read Melville's "Moby Dick."

Great action movie

Really does a good job showing how much of a puss i actually was just being a repairman

This is the best movie. If you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for? Bradley Cooper does a great job portraying the real life story of the Vet in this movie. I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll leave it at that!!!

Only regret is I waited so long before buying

Excelente película

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友達で実際に海外で兵役についた者が「あれが実際の戦争です。ああいう風に人は戦争に慣れていきます。あれが普通です。」と言っていて、友達の気持ちが分かりたくて観ました。（その友達はプライベートライアンで、武器を準備しようとして何もできず無残に死んでいった男性のことも「あれが戦争」とも言っていました。戦争ってそんなにカッコいい物じゃない、こちらの態勢が整う前に予想だにしない事が起きる、と言いたかったのか。）主人公の男性は、米国史上、最も多くの敵を狙撃したという伝説的スナイパー。この映画は実話に基づいているだけに、話が鬼気迫るものがある。監督はクリント・イーストウッド。この映画はさすがと言わざるを得ない。映画では暴力だけではなくて、実際の戦場での細かい描写が凄い。イーストウッドもベトナム戦争に従軍しているから、戦争が嫌と言うほどわかるのだろう…。（途中で登場する赤ん坊が、お人形さんだった点を除いてはいい映画なのではないかと思う）。自分は実際に従軍をしていないので、多分、体験のレベルは全然違うのだろうけれど、人の心が度重なる出兵、長期に渡る高ストレス・高緊張状態でここまでボロボロになっていくものなのかと愕然とした。戦争が人の心や魂を蝕（むしば）むとしか形容しようがない。ひとたび戦場に行くと、目の前の仲間を助けるために必死になる。敵なんてぼこぼこにする、そういうスイッチが人間は自然と入っていってしまい、ただ、ひたすら人を殺す。その中で自分の中の何かも失っていくのだと思う。本当に目先の戦友を殺させないという、その一心なんだろうけど、人を殺す時点でもう完全に泥沼化してしまう。政治的なイデオロギーを排して、戦争における人・家族が背負う痛みや傷について知りたい人にはお勧め。クリント・イーストウッドももう高齢だけど、作品からは彼の魂が感じられた。余談だが、映画のメイキング特典も見れる。映画のエンディングが史実なのだけど、その事件を受けてこの映画がもう一度、作り直されたと述べられていた。妻へのインタビューを通して、もう一度、映画を作り直すのだから、相当な労力だったと思うが、家族の視点が入ったのでいい映画になったんだと思う。

Astonishing movie. Brilliantly filmed, brilliantly acted, brilliantly entertaining

Thanks

you should really go and get this film it is really good it is in my top 5 best films of all time that's for sure.

Great film