D.J. Haza on American Sniper…
This week I ventured out into the cold to see the much hyped and discussed American Sniper. With 6 Oscar nominations in the bag and Clint Eastwood at the helm I was hoping for an interesting watch. However, it’s the aftermath that seems to be grabbing the headlines!
A good war film usually works a treat in entertaining blokes and this is no different. All the ingredients are there. Things blowing up – check. Men being bad ass men – check. Hot girl – check. American Sniper is unquestionably a great film and had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Chris Kyle’s story is definitely an interesting one, despite the many changes and factual ambiguity of the film. The end comes with some real tension and I found myself glued to the screen to see how things unfolded. It sucked me in and kept me entertained.
However, as I walked out of the cinema several things were running through my head. Many of those issues and questions have been brought into the public forum by celebrities. And then, cries of blasphemy have reigned out from the opposite camp. The argument is about the film being pro-war, pro-sniper and sending a Bush-era propaganda message to the masses. Mud is being thrown by each side, and while I can see both arguments there are some fundamental issues with Eastwood’s latest box office success.
The fact of the matter is that Eastwood has gone to great efforts to ensure that his main character looks the hero and every person he takes down with his sniper rifle had it coming to them! There’s a good guys versus bad guys story in it’s most basic and obvious form. USA is good, the ‘savages’ are evil. Hardly any of the “bad guys” say anything except for one, who is referred to as ‘The Butcher’ due to his ability to terrorise the locals with… well… butchery. Kyle’s main adversary throughout is a Syrian Olympic Gold Medal shooter, who never smiles, doesn’t talk, doesn’t seem to have a family, a life or a personality. And… he’s usually seen in the shadows as he scowls or polishes his rifle. Kyle on the other hand is everyone’s best friend and America’s most loyal son. Two people fighting for their beliefs and their countries have been portrayed in very different ways to sway the audience – that is for certain!
In all of the filmmaking education, studying, learning, classes, books, tutorials and seminars I have undertaken over the last 10 years every single person has told me that each and every one of your characters needs to be three dimensional! They should have hopes, fears, friends, family, dreams, flaws, strengths, weaknesses. They need to be real people – no matter what their function. American Sniper seems to totally disregard this simple story telling requirement and paints everyone who isn’t American as bad guys and ‘savages’. Wouldn’t the story have been more interesting if at least one of the Iraqi fighters were real people capable of emotion?
The arguments for and against AS as a pro-war film seems to have been blown out of proportion and borders on being childish. Sarah Palin weighs in as saying the ‘Hollywood leftists’ aren’t ‘fit to shine Kyle’s combat boots’ as reported by USA Today. The fact that he was a misguided and possibly racist Navy SEAL that had a far from clean history when it comes to telling the truth, seems to be over looked. However, I do have a deep admiration for any person who serves their country and fights for their beliefs.
Michael Moore’s statement that Kyle and other snipers ‘are cowards’ is ridiculous and just plain stupid. Anyone who chooses to put on a uniform and fight for their country deserves more respect than that. He pushes the point that America were effectively invading Iraq, and I agree their reasons for being there were questionable at best, but that wasn’t Kyle’s decision.
Seth Rogen tweeted that AS ‘kinda reminded’ him of the propaganda movie in the final act of Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, and he most definitely has a point. There’s a very one sided story being told, and even that has been twisted for dramatic effect – as most true stories are in Hollywood.
Personally, I thought it was a great film and I thoroughly enjoyed it despite the many morally questionable choices of Eastwood and his team. It is most definitely worth a watch. However, take what you see with a large pinch of salt and remember that it’s just a film. It’s not real, and half the things depicted in Kyle’s world are not real either. Hollywood does what it does best and adds its Hollywood twist.
Don’t run to your local army recruitment office. Follow American Sniper with an episode of Father Ted and decide to become a priest instead.
D.J. Haza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszFJHnpNzqHh6gswQ0Srpi5E&feature=player_embedded&v=qqtW2LRPtQY
Originally published January 22, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
