Almost a month has past since the January 16th release of the Hollywood blockbuster hit, "American Sniper"-based on the best-selling memoir of former U.S. Navy SEAL Sniper, Chris Kyle titled the same. And over that same time period, I've heard everything from arguing and debating to bashing and un-patriotic, propagandic rhetoric-coming from both sides of the isle. Those on the conservative-right have praised the film while hailing Chris Kyle an American hero. Even dedicating February 2 as "Chris Kyle Day", down in his home state of Texas. And those on the liberal-left have absolutely torn the film apart while claiming-amongst other things, that Mr. Kyle was nothing more than an angry racist who went on a killing spree during his time in Iraq.
For the most part, I've tried to stay out of all this nonsense. Except for a few different occasions where I've seen the most extreme (from both sides) comments on social media and just couldn't ignore the arrogance. I've stayed out of it, mostly because I hadn't seen the movie yet. But also because, anytime we're discussing our heroic veterans, it is a very touchy subject. We do, after all, owe them everything. But last weekend, I was finally able to make it out to our local theater to view "American Sniper". Still drawing large crowds, I might add. And after almost a full week of carefully wording my phrases and sentences-trying my hardest not to offend any vet who may read this-for his or her service to our country, I was finally able to write down my opinions.
Before I get started on the drama surrounding Chris Kyle, though, I'd like to first share my thoughts-my review of the film. Because wow, what a hit...in terms of domestic box office money making. It has now surpassed "Saving Private Ryan"-the 1998 Steven Spielberg, WWII film for highest grossing war film ever, at the box office. "Saving Private Ryan" made nearly 216 million when it was released back then. "American Sniper" just came in at 250 million and is still climbing. No matter what your own, personal opinions are of the film, there is no denying its box office success.
Now I'll admit, I was a little worried that all the extra curricular activity surrounding Chris Kyle and the whole cause of this particular war would taint my views and take away my ability to keep an open mind while watching the movie, but I'm glad to report this was not the case. And if anything, my opinions of Mr. Kyle actually changed for the better. The war, no. But the deadliest sniper in U.S. history, yes.
This, however, does not mean I completely enjoyed the film. Don't get me wrong, it was good. But going by the movies success in its first few weeks-in terms of profit, I was expecting a movie that is truly deserving of an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. For a movie that had just jumped over "Saving Private Ryan" for number one war movie ever made, I was expected to see a film of Steven Spielberg caliber. Or even just a "Pearl Harbor" type caliber film. I was just expecting more, that's all. And maybe that was the whole problem. But just as with Chris Kyle, I was really also hoping to get a better sense and understanding of the Iraqi War, and I just didn't get that.
With all that being said, my mixed reviews are nothing against Mr. Kyle's story. I think it mostly came down to the direction. While Clint Eastwood has made some incredibly magnificent films, this for me, was just not one of them. As hard as it is for a solider to transition back and forth between home and active duty-war, it shouldn't be as difficult for a professional director such as Mr. Eastwood to incorporate transitions into this movie that actually make sense.
For instance, the scene in which Taya Kyle-played by Sienna Miller, who was pregnant at the time-in the movie, calls Chris from the hospital to tell him they were having a boy. Chris and his convoy come under attack during the satellite phone call. She's listening to the whole thing play out. Meanwhile, the guys are trying to get out of the situation when the scene just cuts back to Chris being at home. It's like, wait a minute. How did they get out of that, Clint? And there's a pregnant lady standing in a hospital parking lot wondering if her husband is dead or alive? What did she do at that exact moment? Did she just hop in her car and calmly drive home? What did she do? How long before she actually knew her husband was still alive? This is just one scene. And those questions never completely get answered in the film. The whole movie is filled with transitions like this. It's annoying. It doesn't make sense. And it takes away from the entire movie.
If there was anything that absolutely turned me away from the film before actually seeing it, it was Clint Eastwood's directing. Before seeing the movie, I had read numerous articles from critics and even from fellow servicemen who had also served in Iraq. They basically called out Mr. Eastwood's narrow minded perspectives and his horrible portrayal of the people of Iraq. They also made it clear that Mr. Eastwood's version of Chris Kyle's war was not their version of war.
Furthermore, I read about some of the clear differences that film had from the actual book written by Mr. Kyle. There were numerous instances-including Chris's first kill being a child that didn't appear in the book. And this is going by articles I've read from people who know both the book and the film as I have never actually read the book. For more on these details, checkout this article, written by Slate's, Courtney Duckworth, breaking down all of the differences.
Although the movie was mostly a bust for me-in terms of directing expectations, Bradley Cooper's performance is definitely that of a professional deserving an Oscar for Best Actor. He seems to get better in every film he makes. No matter what the roll is, Bradley Cooper is becoming that A-List actor that everybody wants in their films. There are some great names accompanying Mr. Cooper in the Best Actor category this year, but his performance in "American Sniper" could definitely put him over the top.
In an interview I caught on CNN's, "The Lead with Jake Tapper", Taya Kyle even admitted that it was hard-at times to tell that Cooper wasn't actually her late husband. She said he nailed it. From the way he walked and talked to the way he did normal, everyday things, Bradley Cooper became Chris Kyle. And I'll admit, just going by all the pictures I've seen of Chris Kyle, I honestly forgot I was watching Bradley Cooper on the big screen, as well.
Servicemen too, are praising Cooper for the way he transformed from a regular, everyday citizen into a Navy SEAL Sniper. He studied, he learned and he trained. He became everything he was asked to become. For Bradley Cooper's performance, and because I am a history buff/war movie enthusiast, I will certainly consider purchasing "American Sniper" when its released on DVD and Blue-ray.
Now that my-anything but expert movie review is out there for the world to see, lets talk a little bit about all of this other stuff surrounding the book, the movie and the life of, American Hero-Chris Kyle. I will be jumping around a little bit from controversy to controversy but I want to start out with the story of the very first time I ever heard about Chris Kyle. No type of statement is trying to be made here by talking about this first, I just wanted to let readers know when I, personally became aware of Mr. Kyle.
Back in 2006, Chris Kyle was in a bar after the funeral of fellow SEAL member, Master at Arms 2nd Class Michael Monsoor. Supposedly, Jesse Ventura-former Minnesota Governor, former member of the U.S. Navy Underwater Dive Team during the Vietnam War and of course, we all know him as WWE Hall of Famer, Jesse "The Body" Ventura-who was also in the bar that day, began running his mouth about the war and George W. Bush. He, eventually stated that the, "SEAL's deserved to lose a few." Kyle, who refers to Ventura in his book as, "Mr. Scruff Face", did not take well to this and punched Ventura. After that, as Kyle put it in his book, "All hell broke lose."
If this is all true, Jesse Ventura-in no way shape or form should have opened his mouth. I mean, what a horrible, un-American thing to say. Not about the war or about George W. Bush. But about our fallen hero's. People like even he, who put their lives on the line for us everyday. People like the Navy SEAL's. Who were mourning the death of a brother. Why he would ever say that, I will never understand.
On the other hand, though, Chris probably shouldn't have started throwing punches either. He could have and should have been the better man. But, just after the funeral of a brother-when emotions and tensions were running so high, I can completely understand what he did.
Questions do arise in the whole story. Jesse Ventura did win his defamation suit against Taya Kyle last year for almost 1.9 million in damages. He sued for what was written about him in Chris's book-claiming the whole thing was fabricated. Either way, this is one of those situations where nobody wins. Taya Kyle is out nearly two million. And yes, Ventura gets his money, but none of them will ever out live this unfortunate incident. It will probably asterisk their names and reputations forever.
That fiasco was-from what I can recall of my memory, the first time I ever heard of Chris Kyle. And since we're already on the topic of celebrities and name-tarnishing stories, we're going to stay right on that topic for a moment. These next two stories came from the Twitter world. The first, is the whole Michael Moore ordeal. Michael Moore-Director of documentaries like "Fahrenheit 911", "Roger and Me" and "Bowling for Columbine-who is also, along with Chris Kyle, no stranger to controversy. Michael Moore stated some things that may or may not have been related to Mr. Kyle...
On January 18, just two days after the release of "American Sniper" and a day before we celebrated the life of the great, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.-who was tragically gunned down by sniper fire in 1968, Mr. Moore posted on his Twitter-while discussing his uncle who was killed in WWII-also by sniper fire-that he was raised to believe, "Snipers were cowards". That's pretty much it. Michael Moore made no mention of "American Sniper" and made no mention of the "American Sniper's" name. He was simply stating what he was raised to believe. You know, exercising his rights.
Oh, but the Conservatives had a hay day with it. They instantly inserted Chris Kyle's name into Michael Moore's post. Conservative website after conservative website, then posted hate filled messages towards Michael Moore. And those posts were filled with disgusting, un-patriotic comments from people who claim themselves to be Americans. You can find these horrible articles and comments all over the internet. Just pick a right-wing news site and start reading.
Now, I wont sit here and defend Michael Moore, as he had to of known how people on the right were going to react to such a comment. And only a few days after the sniper movies release? But, like I said, he was just speaking his mind and standing up for what he believes in. Just like Chris Kyle always did.
And while I'm not defending Michael Moore's controversy-in any way, I will gladly call out all of the low life, scum bag, right wing media sites who just couldn't resist responding to Mr. Moore's tweet with propagandic garbage-like they were actually, truthfully and respectfully defending a guy that was not even mentioned in the first place! And I will also call out all of you closed minded "people", you "Americans", that bought into this propagandic garbage without researching and rationally coming to the conclusion that Michael Moore said absolutely NOTHING about Navy SEAL Sniper, Chris Kyle!
Here is a link to Michael Moore's Facebook Page, which includes his original tweet, and his personal defense of statements...
It's just really sad that something made out of practically nothing, added so much controversy to this movie. An ordeal that had nothing to do with the movie, or the man the movie was about. It cast a negative shadow over the entire movie. It was, Conservatives looking for anything to start yet another war over. Of course, in a way, that probably helped the movie. Americans these days respond better to negativity anyway.
A perfect example of this comes with the second image-killing story I was telling you about. It developed on the same day as the Michael Moore ordeal. Comedian, Seth Rogen-also in a tweet stated that, "American Sniper" reminded him of the Nazi sniper film, "A Nations Pride"-inside the Quentin Tarantino hit, "Inglourious Basterds". A film that showcased a Nazi soldier snipping off at least 300 enemy troops. A film that boast about the number of kills one man had. And the man's home country proclaiming him a hero.
Besides the obvious differences, certain aspects of the two sniper films sound pretty familiar. I'll even admit, I had the same thought before Mr. Rogen's statement ever went public. It's a pretty fair assessment to make, if you ask me. A sniper film reminding somebody of another sniper film? It's not that far off. I can guarantee you, millions of other people also had the same exact thought.
It's not like we're actually comparing Chris Kyle to a Nazi-like those on the right immediately claimed. As Mr. Rogen stated when apologizing for and defending his comment, "Apples remind me of oranges. Cant compare them, though."
It's perfectly logical for a sniper movie to remind someone of another sniper movie. It's pretty much common sense. Logical thinking and common sense are two things Conservatives know absolutely nothing about. Which is why they take things as far as they do. And make issues out of nothing. It's funny. Conservatives get all bent out of shape when a comedian-of all people, says a movie that takes place during a war we shouldn't have even been in in the first place reminds them of a fictional Nazi film. But those same Conservatives are the people comparing President Obama to Hitler, all day long. That's Republican logic, right there. And it's the kind of stupidity that makes every situation in this country worse than it really is or really has to be.
Adding to this, I've met a lot of serviceman and women in my day. Men and women who have been overseas and around the world and who have put their lives in jeopardy for their country and their fellow Americans. Men and women who have been on the front lines of war and have seen things none of us would ever want to see. Soldiers that have looked death right in the face and soldiers that have killed on numerous occasions. I've talked to them and have listened their stories. I've seen the class and the respect and the strength and the decency they showcase. I know what they're comfortable talking about. I know what breaks them down. I know what is off limits. And in my opinion, typically, an honorable service member, an honorable sniper, an honorable person wouldn't just go out and brag about their kill number. I've heard those numbers, technically, are not even released by the military...
With all that being said, I can only really think of a few people that would brag about how many kills they have. And those people are criminals-murderers, serial killers, etc. I'm not labeling Chris Kyle any of these things here. I am just simply stating well-known facts. Let me repeat that-for those of you on the right who will read through this and only pay attention to what you want to pay attention to. I'll even put it in caps to make sure you all see it. IN NO WAY AM I LABELING CHRIS KYLE ANY OF THESE THINGS. But, I do stand by my statement because it's 100%, the truth.
Lets change directions now. Lets talk about the outrage coming from the left side and what I believe is the reason for most of the liberal criticism being directed at the movie and at Mr. Kyle's military/civilian life. This criticism comes with the war in general. The war known as, "Operation Iraqi Freedom". And more so than the actual war itself, are the reasons why we were even over there.
The invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with the terrorist responsible for 9-11, like Chris Kyle managed to trick himself into believing. The invasion had nothing to do with WMD's, like the Bush administration tricked everyone else into believing. Don't take my word for it though. These are facts, now proven by experts...and by anybody else with a shred of that common sense I mentioned above. Do some real research and get the real facts if, after this long, you still believe the Bush War was justified.
Did you look up those real facts yet? Did you finally open your eyes and realize the Iraq War was wrong-on all levels? Good. Now you can understand why-with this huge mistake still very much fresh in our minds-especially with the emergence of ISIS, Iraq is still a major hot button issue within our society. And that's where I think most of this criticism is coming from. At least, that's where I hope it's coming from. Because nobody in their right mind would ever bash a veteran for the services they've provided to their country and their fellow Americans. And if they do bash a vet for the services they provided, I will be the first to call them out.
Which is why I have to call out NBC's, Ayman Mohyeldin for remarks that he made. Now, I'm not familiar with Mr. Moyeldin, at all. I'm not sure what his political or personal views are. But, I do know this. He thought it would be an appropriate thing to call Chris Kyle a "racist" who, "went on killing sprees" during his time in Iraq. I would imagine his comments come in response to how Chris refereed to Iraqi's as "savages". At one point in the movie-while Chris was at home talking to his wife, he referred to all Iraqi's as "savages". Now, we all knew the brutality of Saddam Hussein and the evil tactics of his regime. We know the inhumane actions of the Iraqi insurgency. There's no doubt about it, these people were savages. We saw proof of this for years, in the media, and now, in the movie. We've heard proof of this from our troops, from other countries in the region and from the innocent people of Iraq.
Although there have been claims that Chris Kyle would shoot at anything that walked, I would certainly hope he understood and saw the differences between innocent Iraqi civilians and the despicable Iraqi insurgency that was trying to do his own people harm.
Nonetheless, I cant sit here and judge Chris Kyle for who he shot or why he shot or when he shot. Snipers have a job to protect the guys their watching over. They take an oath to protect us-by any means necessary. They volunteer to go over to the worst environments imaginable, so that the rest of us don't have to. That is the most admirable and heroic thing anybody could ever do. And war is an unimaginable thing that nobody could even begin to understand, unless they've lived it. Which, thankfully, I, and most of us in this country have not. What our troops go through during times of deployment would be enough to make the most sane-the most psychologically sound mind go completely insane. (This is the same reason I supported President Obama's prisoner swap for Army Sgt., Bowe Bergdahl, and why-unlike most of you Conservatives, I'm not wishing death upon Eddie Ray Routh, the Marine suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder when he shot and killed Chris Kyle and Chris's neighbor, Chad Littlefield back in 2013.) The overwhelming stress, the constant parade of enemy fire, continuously on edge, looking over your shoulder, witnessing your friends and brothers die at the mercy of people who are also trying to kill you. Under these circumstances and pressures, I would probably try to kill as many savages as I possibly could too. Or, have some sort of nervous break down. Or, some sort of lapse in judgement. Or, anything else that you could or couldn't possibly think of.
No, I don't care what our servicemen and women do in the fields of battle-aside from acting like complete and utter "savages" themselves. They're doing it for us. They're doing it for their country. I support, and am thankful for everything Chris Kyle did for us and for what all of our other veterans-past, present and future have done for us. And whether or not we should have even been in Iraq in the first place, is beside the point. Whether or not Chris Kyle was actually fighting for our or freedom, whether or not he was just over there so he could kill people, is beside the point. If you weren't over there, and don't have conclusive evidence that proves he was some crazy, racist killer, you cant judge Chris Kyle for what he did during the Iraqi War.
As for the backlash into him, personally, though-while not on duty, well that's a different story. If you're a veteran, you are and will always be a hero-in regards to your service. But, being a veteran doesn't automatically give you the right to be an idiot. It doesn't give you the right to spread lies and propaganda either. And it doesn't give you the right to act lawless and do whatever you please, whenever you please. Are there certain exceptions? Yes, as there should be. But being a veteran, you represent your country, forever and always-in all situations. And how you handle yourself, and your civilian status, and your semi-fame says a lot about the kind of person you really are.
Chris Kyle will always be a hero in military regards. But I'll tell you one thing...there are numerous claims and many stories out there-most of which were actually told and supported by Chris himself-that for many sensible people, would make them question the true content of his character. And I will also say this...a truly respectable guy would never have so many negative stories hovering around his image. This is a fact.
And being liberal, I'm just not one to ignore real facts. And Liberals don't just make things up for the hell of it. Conservatives, however, do. Liberals would never just make something out of nothing. Like the whole Iraqi War. WMD's? Right. Or how about the frivolous lawsuits (plural) filed against our Commander-in-Chief, by Congressional Republicans? I could keep going for hours like this. If there weren't real issues here, Liberals wouldn't be questioning a thing.
There's just too many stories to ignore. Even if they are all fabricated, Chris Kyle still partook in or claimed to have partaken in activities that could be questioned. And he made statements that would make people doubt his credibility. Lets talk about a few of these...shall we?
First, there is rumor of a pre-war, 2005 Hurricane Katrina story where supposedly, Chris went over to New Orleans and began sniping off looters from atop the Super Dome-just after the storm. There are claims, that this is one of the stories Chris, himself told-on few occasions. Although, nobody that was close to him will admit that...or that they've ever even heard the story.
At first sounds, it would appear to be a completely ludicrous story. I mean, killing fellow Americans in the aftermath of a hurricane? One of the worst hurricanes our country has ever seen. Seems rather far fetched. Especially since there were never any police reports filed of looters bodies being sniped off. Especially since the Navy denied it ever happened.
If this story is made up-which it most likely is, why would he make it up? What would make him even think that would be an acceptable thing to do? Never mind the looters partaking in criminal, non-violent acts (one wouldn't deserve a bullet to the head or chest for an act of desperation during a horrible tragic situation such as Katrina. Although, the right-wing-conservative-christian-Republicans would probably disagree with me there). This, if true, would be an example of the lawlessness I mentioned earlier-unacceptable for anybody to partake in, especially a man of honor.
The next story happens post-war. Actually, just two weeks after retiring from the Navy. Keep in mind this is another one supposedly told by Chris Kyle, himself. This is the story of Chris, allegedly being car-jacked at a gas station just off the highway. As it goes, he was pulled up to a pump-in the process of getting gas, when two men came up from behind him demanding the keys to his truck. Chris, being a 6 foot 2, 220 pound Navy SEAL, convinced the two men he'd give them the keys. He just had to reach back in the truck to get them. I'll just point out the obvious fact that if I was trying to car-jack a man that size, and he told me the keys were in the truck, I'd probably just get in and drive off. But that's not what they did. They allowed him to reach in his truck for the keys. Instead of the keys, though, he pulled out his pistol and shot both men dead.
Again, this story came straight from Chris, himself. However, certain officers from the police department that "handled" the case have denied the whole thing. Others, have apparently confirmed it. The same can be said for the security camera footage from the gas station where this may or may not have went down. Some say they've seen it. Others say there was no tape. So, who really knows?
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for self defense. And I'm for both, open and concealed carry laws. And if this story was is true, it normally wouldn't have even been an issue. However, true or not, this happened while Chris was suffering from PTSD, maybe even still undiagnosed, at the time. He was still trying to come to terms with all that had happened in Iraq. He was still trying to adjust to his life back home. We all saw in the movie when he almost slit the dogs throat at the birthday party....
This car jacking story, is a huge issue. A very important issue that brings into question the gun rights of people with mental aliments-no matter who they. And maybe even more so for our veterans-just returning home from such a traumatic experience. Which, don't forget, was also the direct cause of Chris Kyle's death. But sadly, this is a fact and a major problem that will continue to be over looked because America...well, America is gun country.
And this is the last Chris Kyle controversy I will be discussing-his well known stance on guns. A well-known gun stance based upon Republican/NRA propaganda. A stance that so many other people blindly but proudly take. In Chris's case, I blame his up bringing. We all know from the movie that he was raised as a Christian. Raised around guns. And raised on those true, southern-conservative-cowboy values of Texas. And those values probably played a part in all of these other controversies too.
Honestly, though, I'm not judging Chris Kyle for any of those other stories. I was just stating that they are out there. I am, however, judging him a little bit on his gun stance. Just as I judge anybody else who has ever actually believed that President Obama was going to come and round up all of our guns. But, even though he was documented making these kinds of statements and bogus accusations there would really be no point for me to speak out at Chris Kyle on this matter-as he is no longer with us-God rest his soul.
So, instead, I'm going to speak to all of you people out there (probably mostly conservative) that has ever believed the lie that our president was coming for our guns. I'm speaking out against anyone who has ever tried to legitimately use this claim in a gun control debate. And I'm speaking out against anybody who thinks laws to make guns safer are a bad thing. Your opinions on this matter truly showcase your arrogant idiocracy. It shows you will believe anything you're told by Republicans-who profit off your brilliant stupidity. Like, in Iraq and, with Trickle Down Economics....
This is exactly what is wrong with this country today. It's great that we all get to have our own opinions and values and beliefs. But when those opinions and values and beliefs are formed and based on things that just aren't true, it opens the door for division, and hate, and pointless destruction of the true and fair principles we should be basing our lives around. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've previously done. Ignoring real facts-makes you a moron.
Chris Kyle will always be a military hero...a war hero...an American hero. Nobody can ever take that away from him. Nobody wants to take that away from him. But even hero's have faults. And that's a fact. Which is exactly why there was so much criticism and controversy surrounding his life and this film. That is the only point I was trying to make with this post. But, I'll also speak for all Americans when I say, that is not to take anything away from what he did for us during his time as a Navy SEAL Sniper in Iraq.
To end, I'd like to reiterate the fact that with this blog entry, I was not trying to offend the service of any of our Iraq veterans or any other veteran for that matter. The fact that I think the Iraqi War was a complete sham has nothing to do with what I think of our veterans and their service. I am forever grateful for everything our heroic vets have done for us. I do realize, however, if you're a Republican, and a veteran-you may be offended by a few things I've written here on Conservatives. Just know, your service isn't the problem, your political views are. But, I still respect your military service and thank you for all of your sacrifices. And thank you, "American Sniper"-Chris Kyle.
-The opinions expressed in this blog post are based solely on the movie, "American Sniper", news interviews and various articles I've read about the movie, the war, Chris Kyle and the other celebrities mentioned.
Sources:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/
http://www.youngcons.com/check-warning-obama-chris-kyle-died/
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/kyleclaims.asp
http://www.cbsnews.com/bowe-bergdahl/
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb-staff/2015/02/04/nbc-refusing-apologize-reporters-chris-kyle-killing-sprees-smear
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/19/seth-rogen-american-sniper_n_6503586.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/07/29/jesse-ventura-wins-1-8-million-in-damages-against-chris-kyle-slain-navy-seal-sniper/
http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/02/media/american-sniper-box-office/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/american-sniper/facts/
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/01/23/american_sniper_fact_vs_fiction_how_accurate_is_the_chris_kyle_movie.html
http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2013/april/the-legend-of-chris-kyle-01?single=1
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