ashdoc
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American sniper is a real life action movie dealing with the life of Chris Kyle ( played by Bradley Cooper ) , a soldier of America . He was a remarkable sniper , using long range telescopic rifles to shoot enemy soldiers at extreme range using the telescopic sight of the rifle . He was able to pile up a deadly body count , killing upto 170 people in action in Iraq .
Of course , he was only doing his job . Looking at things from his point of view , he was able to save countless American soldiers who would have been targets of those they were fighting in Iraq . And that is the point of view of the movie too , for it practically paints him as a heroic figure who was fighting for his country .
To be honest , there is the viewpoint as to what was America doing in Iraq in the first place . It should not be forgotten that Americans invaded Iraq with false claims of weapons of mass destruction that they knew Saddam didn't possess . They invaded Iraq against the wishes of the majority of the world , without caring for world opinion .
But the movie has no scope for this discussion . It neatly and clinically shows the fighting that Chris was involved in , and intersperses it with considerable glimpses of his family life . In particular , his relationship with his wife ( played by Sienna Miller ) is built up well .
Of course , the contrast in life of the people who have sent their armies ( Americans ) and the people in the war zone ( American soldiers and Iraqis ) is unbelievable . In Iraq , Chris is dealing with a situation where Iraqis are up in arms against what they perceive as an unprovoked aggression of the country---leading to fighting in which people are dying dog's deaths....while when he comes back home , his wife is more bothered about his increasing blood pressure !!
There is no doubt that Chris is a person with a special aptitude for his job . He is no liberal with the weak heart of a sissy . When he was growing up back in Texas , his father taught him not to back down from a fight if he or his younger brother was threatened---on pain of being whipped by his drawn belt . He was a cowboy before he joined up to the armed forces in response to seeing terror attacks against his country on television , and his childhood memories consisted of hunting animals along with his father using accurate marksmanship of his hunting rifle .
He is shown to be the quintessential family man . After some relationships with women , he settles down to holy matrimony with his wife . He is not shown to stray with other women after marriage even though he is away for long periods from his wife due to his duty in Iraq . And he also cares for his younger brother .
And of course , he is a patriot . His job is to save American soldiers from being shot dead by insurgents in Iraq using his skills with the long range rifles and he does that . The politics of whether Americans are right or wrong in Iraq---leave it to the politicians....or maybe to the armchair critics....
Technology has brought the war far too close to home for comfort ; he actually talks to his wife on mobile phone ( or is it satellite phone ) from the war zone of Iraq while he is searching for enemies with one eye on the telescopic sight of his rifle , and one finger on it's trigger.....and then all hell breaks loose and his wife can hear it all---as if she is seeing a running commentary of the actual fighting live on radio....
War has given him the status of a legend due to his marksmanship , but he is ever ready to leave his position on top of a building searching for attackers to help in house to house search of Iraqi insurgents with raw recruits of the marines....and he forces his comrades to do so too , even though house to house search is a job carrying deadly risk to life and limb....
It is during such a house to house search that Chris stumbles upon a man who could lead him to the 'butcher' , the second in command of the Iraqi insurgents....
And he is hell bent on revenge when the top Iraqi sniper ( called Mustafa ) kills his team mate....
So what happens of the task of capturing the butcher ?? And can Chris kill the Iraqi sniper Mustafa ??
Watch the movie for the answers....
It is the war in Iraq that dominates the movie , or at least Chris' part in it....and the director does excel in showing all the action at both close quarters and long range . The feel of the action is real , and no cinematic hyperdrama is created . To Chris and his men , the Iraqis are 'savages' as they openly call them---and I guess it is that mentality of contempt for the opposition that wins wars....political correctness may lead to becoming losers....
The end however was a shock , and left the audience stunned.....no one got up as the closing music was played....
It seemed that the movie along with Bradley Cooper's acting had really sunk into the hearts and minds of the audience....proof that it was a good movie....
Verdict---Good .
Four star rating .
Of course , he was only doing his job . Looking at things from his point of view , he was able to save countless American soldiers who would have been targets of those they were fighting in Iraq . And that is the point of view of the movie too , for it practically paints him as a heroic figure who was fighting for his country .
To be honest , there is the viewpoint as to what was America doing in Iraq in the first place . It should not be forgotten that Americans invaded Iraq with false claims of weapons of mass destruction that they knew Saddam didn't possess . They invaded Iraq against the wishes of the majority of the world , without caring for world opinion .
But the movie has no scope for this discussion . It neatly and clinically shows the fighting that Chris was involved in , and intersperses it with considerable glimpses of his family life . In particular , his relationship with his wife ( played by Sienna Miller ) is built up well .
Of course , the contrast in life of the people who have sent their armies ( Americans ) and the people in the war zone ( American soldiers and Iraqis ) is unbelievable . In Iraq , Chris is dealing with a situation where Iraqis are up in arms against what they perceive as an unprovoked aggression of the country---leading to fighting in which people are dying dog's deaths....while when he comes back home , his wife is more bothered about his increasing blood pressure !!
There is no doubt that Chris is a person with a special aptitude for his job . He is no liberal with the weak heart of a sissy . When he was growing up back in Texas , his father taught him not to back down from a fight if he or his younger brother was threatened---on pain of being whipped by his drawn belt . He was a cowboy before he joined up to the armed forces in response to seeing terror attacks against his country on television , and his childhood memories consisted of hunting animals along with his father using accurate marksmanship of his hunting rifle .
He is shown to be the quintessential family man . After some relationships with women , he settles down to holy matrimony with his wife . He is not shown to stray with other women after marriage even though he is away for long periods from his wife due to his duty in Iraq . And he also cares for his younger brother .
And of course , he is a patriot . His job is to save American soldiers from being shot dead by insurgents in Iraq using his skills with the long range rifles and he does that . The politics of whether Americans are right or wrong in Iraq---leave it to the politicians....or maybe to the armchair critics....
Technology has brought the war far too close to home for comfort ; he actually talks to his wife on mobile phone ( or is it satellite phone ) from the war zone of Iraq while he is searching for enemies with one eye on the telescopic sight of his rifle , and one finger on it's trigger.....and then all hell breaks loose and his wife can hear it all---as if she is seeing a running commentary of the actual fighting live on radio....
War has given him the status of a legend due to his marksmanship , but he is ever ready to leave his position on top of a building searching for attackers to help in house to house search of Iraqi insurgents with raw recruits of the marines....and he forces his comrades to do so too , even though house to house search is a job carrying deadly risk to life and limb....
It is during such a house to house search that Chris stumbles upon a man who could lead him to the 'butcher' , the second in command of the Iraqi insurgents....
And he is hell bent on revenge when the top Iraqi sniper ( called Mustafa ) kills his team mate....
So what happens of the task of capturing the butcher ?? And can Chris kill the Iraqi sniper Mustafa ??
Watch the movie for the answers....
It is the war in Iraq that dominates the movie , or at least Chris' part in it....and the director does excel in showing all the action at both close quarters and long range . The feel of the action is real , and no cinematic hyperdrama is created . To Chris and his men , the Iraqis are 'savages' as they openly call them---and I guess it is that mentality of contempt for the opposition that wins wars....political correctness may lead to becoming losers....
The end however was a shock , and left the audience stunned.....no one got up as the closing music was played....
It seemed that the movie along with Bradley Cooper's acting had really sunk into the hearts and minds of the audience....proof that it was a good movie....
Verdict---Good .
Four star rating .
