American sniper

peelout
Profile picture for user peelout
Posts
18381
Joined
1/6/2011
Location
Ogden, UT, USA
peelout 1/21/2015 9:15am
1/21/2015 9:15am
went to the theater last night and watched it, i really liked it as a movie, i enjoyed the book more but that is usually the case.
JW381
Profile picture for user JW381
Posts
10638
Joined
7/21/2009
Location
Harrisburg, OR, USA
JW381 1/21/2015 10:52am
1/21/2015 10:52am
Dirty Britches wrote:
I found this article interesting. It's a long read, but worth it if you are into this "hero" stuff. I always say it's a scary thing...
I found this article interesting. It's a long read, but worth it if you are into this "hero" stuff.
I always say it's a scary thing to put someone on a pedestal, because it's so easy to knock them off. Apparently this guy wasn't as special as he portrayed himself - NOT to say he shouldn't be respected, but he liked to fabricate the truth a bit.

http://mpmacting.com/blog/2014/7/19/truth-justice-and-the-curious-case-…

Thats exactly how I feel. He did his job well, even though I don't believe in the reason why troops were deployed to Iraq. No matter what, he saved a lot of American lives. But the "hero" pedestal is a dangerous place, like you said, especially in this case where a few of his claims appear outlandish and lack a shred of evidence. Its too bad he's been made out to be more than he was, even if it was by his own doing.
hvaughn88
Profile picture for user hvaughn88
Posts
8361
Joined
6/19/2013
Location
Conway, AR, USA
hvaughn88 1/21/2015 11:33am
1/21/2015 11:33am Edited Date/Time 1/21/2015 11:39am
I loved it as a movie. I haven't read the book, nor have I done what I would consider to be diligent research into the topic of chris kyle and his life, so i'll just stay away from that argument. The only aspect of the movie that left a little to be desired for me was how much they seemed to gloss over the PTSD aspect at the end of the movie. It almost seemed like it was thrown in as an afterthought. Did anyone else get that impression? In my opinion, PTSD (or his struggles mentally, whichever you prefer) seemed to play a pretty important role in his character. I would have just liked to have seen a little bit more emphasis on that front.
JW381
Profile picture for user JW381
Posts
10638
Joined
7/21/2009
Location
Harrisburg, OR, USA
JW381 1/21/2015 11:37am
1/21/2015 11:37am
hvaughn88 wrote:
I loved it as a [i]movie[/i]. I haven't read the book, nor have I done what I would consider to be diligent research into the topic...
I loved it as a movie. I haven't read the book, nor have I done what I would consider to be diligent research into the topic of chris kyle and his life, so i'll just stay away from that argument. The only aspect of the movie that left a little to be desired for me was how much they seemed to gloss over the PTSD aspect at the end of the movie. It almost seemed like it was thrown in as an afterthought. Did anyone else get that impression? In my opinion, PTSD (or his struggles mentally, whichever you prefer) seemed to play a pretty important role in his character. I would have just liked to have seen a little bit more emphasis on that front.
Absolutely!! I actually thought the movie felt very unfinished for that very same reason. PTSD has been played out in a number of war movies, but that's because it's an extremely tragic and relevant topic. Not only did it effect Chris Kyle personally, but it also caused his death. I got the impression that they didn't depict anything to do with his death in an attempt to honor Kyle and dishonor the vet that killed him. But I thought more insight would have been more effective and appropriate.

The Shop

See All »
coolhand
Profile picture for user coolhand
Posts
474
Joined
9/10/2006
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
coolhand 1/21/2015 2:32pm
1/21/2015 2:32pm
As for the PTSD in the movie..it was not the focal point of the story. He, and other OP guys, have a MO unlike most of your INF soldiers.
It is the inability to slow down your PSY once back home. Can't put the tiger back in the cage..
JW381
Profile picture for user JW381
Posts
10638
Joined
7/21/2009
Location
Harrisburg, OR, USA
JW381 1/21/2015 2:47pm
1/21/2015 2:47pm
coolhand wrote:
As for the PTSD in the movie..it was not the focal point of the story. He, and other OP guys, have a MO unlike most of...
As for the PTSD in the movie..it was not the focal point of the story. He, and other OP guys, have a MO unlike most of your INF soldiers.
It is the inability to slow down your PSY once back home. Can't put the tiger back in the cage..
I didnt think it should have been the focal point of the story, but thought it coulda been developed more towards the end.

Good analogy tho, makes perfect sense.
hvaughn88
Profile picture for user hvaughn88
Posts
8361
Joined
6/19/2013
Location
Conway, AR, USA
hvaughn88 1/21/2015 3:00pm
1/21/2015 3:00pm
coolhand wrote:
As for the PTSD in the movie..it was not the focal point of the story. He, and other OP guys, have a MO unlike most of...
As for the PTSD in the movie..it was not the focal point of the story. He, and other OP guys, have a MO unlike most of your INF soldiers.
It is the inability to slow down your PSY once back home. Can't put the tiger back in the cage..
That makes total sense, and I respect that. That why I was stating my opinion about it strictly as a movie. It just seemed really "thrown in" there.
AHRMA361 1/21/2015 9:39pm
1/21/2015 9:39pm
Me, my wife and our oldest daughter saw it last Saturday. I felt it was a very good movie, I never read the book so I don't know how much was "movie made" and what was more realistic to the truth.

I do know, from the standpoint of a person coming from the world of a large and extended Military Family, the stresses/emotions/behavior portrayed in the movie of Chris Kyle is very familiar. The experiences of Chris and how he struggled with his feeling of responsibility to his fellow servicemen and to his family is something most cannot relate to.

What I know of about my relatives and their service in Spec Ops is likely 5% of what they had to deal with in theater. They mostly won't talk about their experiences and that says a lot to me. All I can do as someone that didn't walk a mile in their shoes is to appreciate their contributions to the security of their brothers in harms way and ultimately the entire USA.

None of them ever wanted to identify their personal efforts to protect and serve their country or seek accolades.

That is what makes us one of the greatest societies. Selfless people doing difficult and almost impossible things to keep our nation safe and secure at home and abroad. Why some want to try and tear them apart or question their sense of duty to adhere to their orders is hard to take as a member of a family that gave their all to do their best. We lost two of our family members doing their jobs....no, they were doing OUR job of protecting us and our freedoms. Hard to attend those funerals for sure. But, the reverence felt on those days has never left me. Semper Fi

woody woodpecker 1/22/2015 11:13am
1/22/2015 11:13am
Orange724 wrote:
II'm surprised every body so far has loved it. While it had some good lessons in it, overall it was pretty painful to sit through. After...
II'm surprised every body so far has loved it. While it had some good lessons in it, overall it was pretty painful to sit through. After reading the book it wasn't even close to the same level, but they never are.

I was expecting alot better since it was directed by Clint Eastwood, this wasn't no Grand Turino.

For me to get into war movies it's gotta be atleast fairly realistic, but this one was pretty far off the mark. I've deployed to Afghanistan a few times, and spent some time around spec war, so the little details go a long way for me. Lone Survivor wasn't a slam dunk all the way through, but I could tell they really did their homework with how spec war operators move and talk. This movie had way too much hollywood influence going on. It was pretty much a love story with some cliche military scenes thrown in.

If you're wondering how spec war operates, or what a deployment would be like, this ain't the movie to watch.

"This movie had way too much hollywood influence going on. It was pretty much a love story with some cliche military scenes thrown in."

Have to agree with you, wasn't really that impressed with the film. Scenes like the matrix style slow-mo bullet was kind of strange in a serious war drama. Not sure how it broke all box office records... good timing I guess with the recent terrorist attacks.
Hman144
Profile picture for user Hman144
Posts
2131
Joined
12/4/2007
Location
York, PA, USA
Fantasy
1327th
Hman144 1/22/2015 1:08pm
1/22/2015 1:08pm
My 2 cents. As an docudrama action flick, I thought it was pretty good. Eastwood films have always been a mixed bag to me. Loved Gran Torino, hated Mystic River. This one cut down the middle.

From a story line, I thought the movie undersold Kyle's personal life, and oversold the in-country action. The runs from Tour 1 then home then tour 2 then home etc. seemed too disjointed. The depiction of his brother as a wimpy standing-in-the-shadow loser was out of place. The rubber baby was absolutely ridiculous (I had to suppress my laughter in the theatre), and that alone should disqualify this movie from best picture consideration in the self-congratulatory hollow-wood award circuits. The sandstorm shootout was horribly depicted and absolutely a waste of film time.

Take out the rubber baby and clean up the last big shoot-storm, and the movie would have been MUCH better.
newmann
Profile picture for user newmann
Posts
24438
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
USA
newmann 1/22/2015 1:12pm
1/22/2015 1:12pm
StephanieMitchell789 wrote:
?? Michael Moore said this movie was propaganda and wasn't worth seeing.
Keep waiting for that dumb fat fuck to explode. One more donut, just one more donut...
URROZ105
Profile picture for user URROZ105
Posts
13
Joined
1/21/2015
Location
Crestline, CA, USA
URROZ105 1/23/2015 8:52am
1/23/2015 8:52am
I read the book, looking forward to watching the movie! R.I.P CHRIS KYLE
enketchum
Profile picture for user enketchum
Posts
4397
Joined
2/6/2012
Location
Pasadena, CA, USA
enketchum 1/23/2015 9:33am
1/23/2015 9:33am
This may be a SPOILER. Don't read if you don't know the story.

I haven't seen it. Is his death in the movie? It sounds like the guy who shot him thinks the movie will make it impossible to get a fair trial.

I hated Lone Survivor. They kept jumping off cliffs and nothing happened. You break several bones or die when you jump or roll off cliffs like that. And there was no fire fight in that last town. They peacefully ended that
Titan1
Profile picture for user Titan1
Posts
9417
Joined
2/3/2010
Location
Lehi, UT, USA
Titan1 1/23/2015 10:13am
1/23/2015 10:13am Edited Date/Time 1/23/2015 11:24am
Bunch a Siskel and Ebert's 'round here.

I haven't seen the movie, yet, I don't like the crowds...I'll wait a few weeks. But I did read the book...much respect to Mr. Kyle, and his family for his sacrifice.

A friend of mine is Spec Ops (and he is so much manlier than I am it's not even funny)...and with a wife and two kids he is ALWAYS torn between his duties...when he's home he feels guilty he's not deployed...and when he's deployed he feels guilty he's not home. He's seen/done some crazy crap in war (he won't talk about so many things)...but I think the hardest part for him is just not being able to be in two places at once. That was very evident in the book with Chris Kyle.
motosmith
Profile picture for user motosmith
Posts
2046
Joined
11/8/2010
Location
Washougal, WA, USA
motosmith 1/24/2015 6:04am
1/24/2015 6:04am
StephanieMitchell789 wrote:
?? Michael Moore said this movie was propaganda and wasn't worth seeing.
newmann wrote:
Keep waiting for that dumb fat fuck to explode. One more donut, just one more donut...
I'd love to drag him behind my truck with a couple motorcycle tie downs.
J.F.S
Profile picture for user J.F.S
Posts
4383
Joined
10/20/2008
Location
Stockholm, SE
J.F.S 1/24/2015 12:14pm
1/24/2015 12:14pm
There are many things people are rating here, everything from books, to Chris Kyle, to his character and so on. But if we stick to the movie, it was actually a pretty bad film IMO, surprised Eastwood could not do better with this story at hand.
Brad460
Profile picture for user Brad460
Posts
4458
Joined
5/15/2012
Location
Richfield, WI, USA
Fantasy
314th
Brad460 1/24/2015 12:57pm
1/24/2015 12:57pm
J.F.S wrote:
There are many things people are rating here, everything from books, to Chris Kyle, to his character and so on. But if we stick to the...
There are many things people are rating here, everything from books, to Chris Kyle, to his character and so on. But if we stick to the movie, it was actually a pretty bad film IMO, surprised Eastwood could not do better with this story at hand.
Wow I am really surprised by your review...Woohoo

You should get back to reviewing that shitty socialist economy you have going on...just needs government injection of taxpayer money, right?

Pit Row

See All »
Original 44
Profile picture for user Original 44
Posts
529
Joined
12/4/2008
Location
Chardon, OH, USA
Original 44 1/24/2015 9:23pm
1/24/2015 9:23pm
J.F.S wrote:
There are many things people are rating here, everything from books, to Chris Kyle, to his character and so on. But if we stick to the...
There are many things people are rating here, everything from books, to Chris Kyle, to his character and so on. But if we stick to the movie, it was actually a pretty bad film IMO, surprised Eastwood could not do better with this story at hand.
You must've watched it with your eyes closed.

Went and saw the movie tonight, what an awesome movie.
volcati
Profile picture for user volcati
Posts
1179
Joined
12/16/2006
Location
Dam Mam, QA
volcati 1/25/2015 1:42am
1/25/2015 1:42am
The fictitious sniper story was lame, there were some uniform mess ups...but it was OK. It wasn't half as good as Hurt Locker, IMHO.

Clint Eastwood was too old to be in charge of that movie. Fricken 80-something. Should of been in better hands, IMHO.
ocscottie
Profile picture for user ocscottie
Posts
69092
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Redding, CA, USA
ocscottie 1/25/2015 9:59pm
1/25/2015 9:59pm
enketchum wrote:
This may be a SPOILER. Don't read if you don't know the story. I haven't seen it. Is his death in the movie? It sounds like...
This may be a SPOILER. Don't read if you don't know the story.

I haven't seen it. Is his death in the movie? It sounds like the guy who shot him thinks the movie will make it impossible to get a fair trial.

I hated Lone Survivor. They kept jumping off cliffs and nothing happened. You break several bones or die when you jump or roll off cliffs like that. And there was no fire fight in that last town. They peacefully ended that
There is no "death scene" in the movie, he leaves w/ the guy to go shooting and the movie ends and they explain what happened in text on the screen.

I also thought Lone Survivor sucked, how anyone can take Mark Whalberg seriously is beyond me.
Rumple4skin
Profile picture for user Rumple4skin
Posts
49
Joined
8/19/2014
Location
Seabrook, TX, USA
Rumple4skin 1/25/2015 10:52pm
1/25/2015 10:52pm
If you watch it as entertainment only, and you don't expect anything factual or realistic, then it's a great movie. I thought it was in poor taste how Eastwood made everyone except Kyle look like pussies and idiots. Nobody knew how to kick doors in and clear houses until he descended from his rooftop nest to show them how? Come on. My Army friends were a bit offended. There were far too many opportunities in the movie to say "well, this is pure fiction." However, like I said, it was a great movie if you just want to watch cool combat scenes and you don't mind the over-the-top comic book hero that Kyle was made out to be.
Titan1
Profile picture for user Titan1
Posts
9417
Joined
2/3/2010
Location
Lehi, UT, USA
Titan1 1/26/2015 10:14am
1/26/2015 10:14am
Rumple4skin wrote:
If you watch it as entertainment only, and you don't expect anything factual or realistic, then it's a great movie. I thought it was in poor...
If you watch it as entertainment only, and you don't expect anything factual or realistic, then it's a great movie. I thought it was in poor taste how Eastwood made everyone except Kyle look like pussies and idiots. Nobody knew how to kick doors in and clear houses until he descended from his rooftop nest to show them how? Come on. My Army friends were a bit offended. There were far too many opportunities in the movie to say "well, this is pure fiction." However, like I said, it was a great movie if you just want to watch cool combat scenes and you don't mind the over-the-top comic book hero that Kyle was made out to be.
In the book-I'm not sure if you've read it-he says that the marine/army units were taking heavy losses going door to door, and so he started training them and working with them on the ground and drastically reduced their losses.

He also stated that they were brave men and great fighters...and great to work with...they just lacked training (not bravery or motivation). So I don't think it was meant as an insult, but I can see how it could be perceived that way.
TripleFive 1/26/2015 7:41pm
1/26/2015 7:41pm
I was super excited to see it .... until I heard about that ass hat being a liar.

Did they show the part where he was in New Orleans sniping looters? Completely betraying the Constitution that he swore to defend? Or the part where he punched The Body?

When a person lies in his autobiography it is a turd in a punchbowl for me.
freeh
Profile picture for user freeh
Posts
789
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Lehi, UT, USA
freeh 1/27/2015 3:26am
1/27/2015 3:26am
TripleFive wrote:
I was super excited to see it .... until I heard about that ass hat being a liar. Did they show the part where he was...
I was super excited to see it .... until I heard about that ass hat being a liar.

Did they show the part where he was in New Orleans sniping looters? Completely betraying the Constitution that he swore to defend? Or the part where he punched The Body?

When a person lies in his autobiography it is a turd in a punchbowl for me.
I had heard about the altercation with Ventura, but I never heard about the looters in New Orleans. If that is true, that is messed up. Got a link to any articles about it? Not saying you are lying or wrong. I just never heard about it so I would like to read about it.
JW381
Profile picture for user JW381
Posts
10638
Joined
7/21/2009
Location
Harrisburg, OR, USA
JW381 1/27/2015 4:05pm
1/27/2015 4:05pm
TripleFive wrote:
I was super excited to see it .... until I heard about that ass hat being a liar. Did they show the part where he was...
I was super excited to see it .... until I heard about that ass hat being a liar.

Did they show the part where he was in New Orleans sniping looters? Completely betraying the Constitution that he swore to defend? Or the part where he punched The Body?

When a person lies in his autobiography it is a turd in a punchbowl for me.
Kinda how I felt.
BobPA
Profile picture for user BobPA
Posts
8330
Joined
10/31/2013
Location
USA
BobPA 1/27/2015 5:42pm
1/27/2015 5:42pm
Descent movie, they drew the love story on longer than it could have been, especially given the predictability. Nothing really wowed me. Not the best, not the worst film out there.
The Rock
Profile picture for user The Rock
Posts
8758
Joined
3/21/2007
Location
HAIKU, HI, USA
The Rock 1/28/2015 12:12am
1/28/2015 12:12am
I didn't read the book. Won't see the movie. I support the troops 100% but am not in the mood to see any movies about our last two wars given the human and financial costs in the face of our aging infrastructure in the US, suicide rate of veterans, deaths and injuries of our servicemen and women, Iraqi civilian deaths, divorce rates of service families, etc. Iraq is a cesspool, Libya is completely jacked.

Mission accomplished. I don't think so Tim.
TripleFive 1/28/2015 7:35pm
1/28/2015 7:35pm
TripleFive wrote:
I was super excited to see it .... until I heard about that ass hat being a liar. Did they show the part where he was...
I was super excited to see it .... until I heard about that ass hat being a liar.

Did they show the part where he was in New Orleans sniping looters? Completely betraying the Constitution that he swore to defend? Or the part where he punched The Body?

When a person lies in his autobiography it is a turd in a punchbowl for me.
freeh wrote:
I had heard about the altercation with Ventura, but I never heard about the looters in New Orleans. If that is true, that is messed up...
I had heard about the altercation with Ventura, but I never heard about the looters in New Orleans. If that is true, that is messed up. Got a link to any articles about it? Not saying you are lying or wrong. I just never heard about it so I would like to read about it.
On mobile so I can't conveniently search. But I was being fascicious about it. That guy told stories in his book about sniping in New Orleans. The stories have pretty much been refuted from what I understand. A quick google search will show you what I'm talking about.
mxb2
Profile picture for user mxb2
Posts
22437
Joined
6/15/2010
Location
Bowie, MD, USA
mxb2 1/28/2015 7:51pm
1/28/2015 7:51pm
TripleFive wrote:
I was super excited to see it .... until I heard about that ass hat being a liar. Did they show the part where he was...
I was super excited to see it .... until I heard about that ass hat being a liar.

Did they show the part where he was in New Orleans sniping looters? Completely betraying the Constitution that he swore to defend? Or the part where he punched The Body?

When a person lies in his autobiography it is a turd in a punchbowl for me.
Quit looting then.

Post a reply to: American sniper