Considering that it had to shoot through so much controversy, the odds were against Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper finding its mark. Aside from the fact that it is set during the divisive Iraq War, the film is based on the autobiography of controversial United States Navy SEAL sharpshooter, Chris Kyle, whose attitude made him an excellent soldier, but an unlikable human being.
With 160 confirmed kills — though he may have had at least a hundred more — Chris Kyle is considered the most prolific sniper in American history. As the title of his bestselling memoir, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History, reveals, he carried the statistic like a badge of honour. Moreover, sentences in his book such as, “I couldn’t give a flying [expletive deleted] about the Iraqis” and “I hate the damn savages”, “I only wish I had killed more”, “I’m not lying or exaggerating to say it was fun”, seem to be a window into the mind of a sociopath.
Clint Eastwood offers an appreciably impartial observation of Kyle’s delusional attitude. Early in the film, Kyle is shown to be motivated into joining the war in Iraq after the attack of September 11. This isn’t a claim by Eastwood that the invasion of Iraq was justified by 9/11 but an examination of Kyle’s drone-like mentality.
Although American Sniper finds its mark, it doesn’t make a clean shot
Kyle’s lack of guilt is also apparent in Eastwood’s film. When an Iraqi boy is brutally tortured to death as an indirect result of Kyle’s actions, Kyle shows no immediate signs of remorse.
In terms of characterisation, American Sniper works because it offers a nuanced examination of the men who fight in wars, and the repercussions on their minds, as well as the minds of their families. It is a subtle anti-war film that nudges us in the right direction by not firmly taking sides. It also shakes off the romantic take from Kyle’s book, which was so heavily criticised by veterans. In that sense,American Sniper is one of the better war films ever made.
Unfortunately, the legendary actor-turned-director is not as honest about Kyle’s delusions of grandeur as he should have been. As is now common knowledge, Kyle’s claim that he had punched celebrity Jesse Ventura at a bar after an anti-war debate were found to be incorrect by a jury. Ventura was awarded USD1.8 million in damages. Other claims such as his story that he sniped 30 looters in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, or shot carjackers who had targeted him, remain dubious and unproven.
Clint Eastwood neatly avoids these incidents, and in fact fabricates some of his own; Kyle’s foe in Iraq, a former Olympian who transformed into a ninja-like sniper, is completely fictionalised. This and some of the more heavily produced action sequences steal from Eastwood’s attempt at a grounded biopic. A sniper shot at the end which uses the bullet time effect feels particularly out of place. Ultimately these flaws leave American Sniper feeling less like Hurt Locker and more like Dirty Harryin Iraq.
Rated ‘R’ for sexual references, language throughout and disturbing war violence
Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, February 8th, 2015
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