American Sniper... Who's seen it?

[Rapewta]

A lot of strong opinions on the movie and the book.

From my point of view as a man that spent one year in Vietnam and enlisted...

I can only quote some stuff that I hope make men think before they type
& post.

A Man thinks meanly of him self for never being a soldier or being at Sea.

Men that passed on the oppertunity to serve their country will spend the rest of
their life justifying their cowardice. Like m. moore and b maher.

Everyone can't drive a Prius with a "coexist' and "I am ready for Hillary."
Some, like 2% have to let these people do that, getting in harms way.

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by Rapewta

Men that passed on the oppertunity to serve their country will spend the rest of
their life justifying their cowardice. Like m. moore and b maher.

Everyone can't drive a Prius with a "coexist' and "I am ready for Hillary."
Some, like 2% have to let these people do that, getting in harms way.

When I see and hear people question the morality and service of people like Chris Kyle, I always think of the quote: "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - George Orwell

[Lothar]

Saw it. Loved it. It is not a political film. How the Hollywood lefties can get their undies in a knot over this is idiotic grandstanding.

It's not only a good story, it's a real story. It's the story, not just of Chris Kyle, but so many combat vets that return to a place with which they have a hard time reconnecting. It's about the connection between those that serve. How they place others before themselves and the profound sense of loss when a comrade is lost.

Given all the crap that spews from Hollywood, and the challenges that the movie industry faces as a result, this is a clear message that the people still want something of value in a film. If the rest of Hollywood doesn't get that, they deserve the tepid response and commercial failures that they deserve.

[BeyGon]

Howard Dean, who cares, didn't sound like he saw it but commented on it. He said it was a movie for angry people and Tea Party people, he seemed to think they are one and the same. Another small time politician whose time came and went so very fast.

[Rednine11]

I saw it Saturday. I thought it was great.
but I have a lot of respect for snipers. Carlos Hathcock was dam good but Kyle was the best

[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by Rednine11

I saw it Saturday. I thought it was great.
but I have a lot of respect for snipers. Carlos Hathcock was dam good but Kyle was the best

You may want to Google Simo Häyhä.

[BeyGon]

Originally Posted by Rednine11

I saw it Saturday. I thought it was great.
but I have a lot of respect for snipers. Carlos Hathcock was dam good but Kyle was the best

I thought I was a pretty good shot, open sights, on target at 500 meters, with training I am sure I could have been a better shot, but I could never, ever have made the grade those guys did. They trained and lived a tough life.

I liked that movie. The theater was full and it was very quiet all through the movie.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Rednine11

I saw it Saturday. I thought it was great.
but I have a lot of respect for snipers. Carlos Hathcock was dam good but Kyle was the best

Local Channel 2 nightly news anchor was a Marine scout/Sniper in Vietnam, knew Carlos. He liked the movie. That is all.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by BeyGon

Howard Dean, who cares, didn't sound like he saw it but commented on it. He said it was a movie for angry people and Tea Party people, he seemed to think they are one and the same. Another small time politician whose time came and went so very fast.

Good or.Bad I honestly have no clue who Howard Dean is.

[A930Rocket]

I thought the movie was good. Reading the book now.

[badcar]

Saw the movie last night and I was sitting in silence at the end. I just returned from SHOT show in Vegas and had the chance to listen to many veterans who personally knew Chris Kyle and who thought the movie was a fair portrait of the man they knew and also considered it a bit tame regarding his skill as an operator.

It is a worthwhile movie to see on the big screen for sure.

[osidak]

a different kind of sharp shooter and right down the road from me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1421914688&x-yt-cl=84503534&v=9ieWrWLjii0&feature=player_detailpage

[Racerbvd]

I generally don't go the movies at the theater, I'm a cheap SOB, but had planned on seeing this and when a couple of racing buddies called and asked if I wanted to join them, I did and it was worth it. Have never been in a theater that was so quiet, especially when leaving.

The final scene where he playfully points the revolver at his wife is pretty hard to believe.

Yea, people raised with weapons don't do that, and the movie started off with his father instilling respect for the weapon (had I ever done that when I was hunting with my Father, all hell would have broken loose, as I learned that respect way before handling a gun in the woods and would bet, in real live, he did as well) One of the 1st things my father taught me is that there is no such thing as an unloaded gun, and I have a real hard time believing that someone who had killed as many people as Kyle had, and felt the pain when he pulled that trigger, would play with a real weapon like portrayed in the movie, was that in the book??

Originally Posted by nvr2mny

Wife & I just saw it tonight. We thought it was pretty good. Not a word was spoken by the audience after credits rolled. All walked out in silence. Eastwood did another great job IMHO.

Yea, same here, very sobering.

[nostatic]

For those who went to the movie, have you done anything to improve the plight of returning Warfighters? Do you volunteer at your local VA? Support research into treating and preventing PTS? Donate to any of the charities that support Vets?

I am thankful that the movie raises awareness of the struggles that returning Warfighters face.

According to AIP, these are legit charities that support Vets:

Army Emergency Relief Fund (A+)
Air Force Aid Society (A+)
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (A+)
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (A+)
Fisher House Foundaton (A+)
Armed Services YMCA of the USA (A-)
National Military Family Association (A)
Homes For Our Troops A
Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America A–
Operation Homefront – N.O. A
Semper Fi Fund / Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund

One of my colleague's is very involved in the Semper Fi Fund. Highly recommended.

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I'm really looking forward to this. The Shorts look epic and I intend to see it as soon as it's released locally on the 24th of this month.

Snipers have always fascinated me. It must be one the most challenging jobs in the military.
Being based on Chris's real life service history should make this more than worthwhile and I'd expect Clint Eastwood has done a terrific job as director.
He seems to be getting better with age.

RIP Chris Kyle.

So how does it hold up? Is it worth seeing?

Snipers. Brave skilful courageous. Unless theyre an enemy, then they are murderous hidden cowards.

Mr Eastwoods latest is certainly getting some press.

Anything resembling balance and perspective is sacrificed in American Sniper to the more pressing needs of US propaganda, which holds that the guys who served in Iraq were the very best of America, men who went through hell in order to protect the freedoms and way of life of their fellow countrymen at home. It is the cult of the soldier writ large, men who in the words of Kyle (Bradley Cooper) in the movie “just want to get the bad guys.”

The ”bad guys” are, as mentioned, the Iraqis. In fact if you had just arrived in the movie theatre from another planet, you would be left in no doubt from the movie’s opening scene that Iraq had invaded and occupied America rather than the other way round.

Unsurprisingly, the real Chris Kyle was not as depicted by Clint Eastwood and played by Bradley Cooper. In his autobiography, upon which the movie is supposedly based, Kyle writes, “I hate the damn savages. I couldn’t give a flying f**k about the Iraqis.”

It is clear that the movie’s director, Clint Eastwood, when faced with the choice between depicting the truth and the myth, decided to go with the myth.

But it should come as no surprise, given that the peddling of such myths is the very currency of Hollywood. Over many decades the US movie industry has proved itself one of the most potent weapons in the armory of US imperialism, helping to project a myth of an America, defined by lofty attributes of courage, freedom, and democracy.

As the myth has it, these values, and with them America itself, are continually under threat from the forces of evil and darkness that lurk outwith and often times within. The mountain of lies told in service to this myth has only been exceeded by the mountain of dead bodies on the basis of it – victims of the carnage and mayhem unleashed around the world by Washington.


Hollywood uses ‘American Sniper’ to destroy history & create myth — RT Op-Edge

[javadog]

The idiot that wrote the diahrrea posted above clearly needs some help with his reading comprehension. He doesn't understand what was written in the book, nor why, and I'd say he hasn't spent any significant time with a soldier. What Kyle became was a product of what he saw and I don't disagree with his views. At all.

As for the idiot that penned that piece... I say off with his head. From 1000 yards.

JR

[cairns]

The idiot that wrote the diahrrea posted above clearly needs some help with his reading comprehension. He doesn't understand what was written in the book, nor why, and I'd say he hasn't spent any significant time with a soldier. What Kyle became was a product of what he saw and I don't disagree with his views. At all.

As for the idiot that penned that piece... I say off with his head. From 1000 yards.

+10. I'd like the first shot please. Quoting from the same source of propaganda that ignores their murderer of a leader and hides the cowards that shoot down airliners. Utterly despicable.

[BeyGon]

that's just the way Stuart is, It's how he thinks, it hates all things American.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by BeyGon

that's just the way Stuart is, It's how he thinks, it hates all things American.

I was responding to what he seemed to have pasted into his reply from another source, not what he wrote above it.

Not that I agree with his comments. The part about "Unless theyre (sic) an enemy, then they are murderous hidden cowards" is plainly ignorant. War is not a card game and whether you kill someone from 1 foot away or 5,000, makes absolutely no difference to the person killed. Making the distinction that a sniper is different because he sometimes kills from a greater distance than a regular grunt... well, that's just defective thinking.

Maybe he was just expressing the opinion of others but he could have written it a lot more clearly.

JR

[cairns]

Beygone is correct- it actually is the way he is and that post is typical.

For another perspective and the best way, IMO, to think about guys like him:

The United States of American Sniper

‘American Sniper,” the new movie about Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, has opened to staggering box-office success and garnered multiple Academy Award nominations. But not all the attention has been positive. The most vocal criticism came in the form of disparaging quotes and tweets from actor-director Seth Rogen and documentary-maker Michael Moore . Both have since attempted to qualify their ugly comments, but similarly nasty observations continue to emanate from the left.

The bulk of Chris Kyle’s remarkable exploits took place in the Al Anbar province of Iraq in the summer of 2006. He and I were teammates at SEAL Team Three. Chris had always been a large figure in the SEAL teams. He became a legend before our eyes in Ramadi.

My fellow special-operations brothers might be shocked, but I think the comments by Messrs. Rogen and Moore have had the ironic effect of honoring Chris Kyle’s memory. They inadvertently paid Chris a tribute that joins the Texas funeral procession and “American Sniper” book sales and box office in testifying to the power of his story. I’ll get to the punch line shortly, but first please let me lay the groundwork.

The very term “sniper” seems to stir passionate reactions on the left. The criticism misses the fundamental value that snipers add to the battlefield. Snipers engage individual threats. Rarely, if ever, do their actions cause collateral damage. Snipers may be the most humane of weapons in the military arsenal. The job also takes a huge emotional toll on the man behind the scope. The intimate connection between the shooter and the target can be hard to overcome for even the most emotionally mature warrior. The value of a sniper in warfare is beyond calculation.

I witnessed the exceptional performance of SEAL, Army and Marine snipers on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. They struck psychological fear in our enemies and protected countless lives. Chris Kyle and the sniper teams I led made a habit of infiltrating dangerous areas of enemy-controlled ground, established shooting positions and coordinated security for large conventional-unit movement.

More than half the time, the snipers didn’t need to shoot; over-watch and guidance to the ground troops was enough. But when called upon, snipers like Chris Kyle engaged enemy combatants and “cleared the path” for exposed troops to move effectively and safely in their arduous ground missions. These small sniper teams pulled the trigger at their own risk. If their position was discovered, they had little backup or support.

As Navy SEALs, we have the privilege of using the best hardware the military has to offer. We have access to, and train with, the latest elite weapons. We operate with the world’s finest aviators, from multiple services, who transport us to and from targets and protect us from above with devastating firepower. Advanced drone platforms are at our disposal and wreak havoc on our enemies. The full complement of American battlefield ingenuity and capacity is at our disposal. Our enemies the world over know this well. They have experienced this awesome power and respect it.

But every U.S. fighting force possesses a weapon that frightens our enemies today more than any of those above. The Taliban, al Qaeda, Islamic State, jihadists everywhere—all those who oppose us fear and hate this weapon, and are haunted by its power to stop their own twisted plans for the world.

What is this weapon? The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

It was written long ago by leaders of astonishing foresight and courage. It is what men like Chris Kyle fight and die for. It is what I immediately think of when someone burns a flag, shouts some hateful remark during a protest or criticizes the men and women who have volunteered for military service and willingly go into harm’s way.

When Seth Rogen and Michael Moore exercise this right, it is a tribute to those who serve. While I am revolted by their whiny, ill-informed opinions about Chris Kyle and “American Sniper,” I delight in the knowledge that the man they decry was a defender of their liberty to do so.

Mr. Denver, a commander in the U.S. Navy SEALs Reserves, is the author of “Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior” (Hyperion, 2013).

From the WSJ this morning.