American Sniper Written by Jason Hall - Movie Review Example

Exploring an event Over the years, the American administration has fought many wars in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, against global terror groups that have threatened to bring down global economies and political systems. Nevertheless, war on terror has been highly politicized, generating both negative and positive criticism in equal measure; America’s invasion and occupation of Iraq, in particular, was highly criticized, with leading global powers questioning the legitimacy of the U.S’s invasion of Iraq. After witnessing the progressive increase in military spending on terror as well as the devastating physical and psychological consequences of wars on individuals and families, the public opinion on wars shifted gradually. With many Americans against wars, it has become increasingly hard for the U.S. government and other governments the world over to justify war expenditures; America’s decisions to go on previous wars have been thoroughly criticized with many people clearly expressing anti-war sentiments. Evidently, the issue of war has been hotly contested in public discourses in over the past few decades; nevertheless, most people hardly understand the fact of war, apart from the bits and pieces of information gathered in popular media. Over the weekend, I went out to the cinema to watch Clint Eastwood’s 2014 American biographical war drama film American Sniper; written by Jason Hall, the film is based on the astounding autobiography of Seal Chief Chris Kyle under the same title, American Sniper (The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History). Published in 2012 under the authorship of Scot McEwen and Jim DeFelice, Kyle’s autobiography was declared New York Times bestselling memoir after its initial release. In this gripping account, Kyle narrates a true life story of his unparalleled military career spanning several decades, as well as his numerous combat tours in Iraq and around the world between 1999 and 2009. Having already read Kyle’s autobiography awhile back, I was very happy when it was announced in 2012 that Warner Bros had acquired the rights to adapt the book for the big screen. I followed up the story very keenly because I was really anxious to see this filmic adaptation; when the film finally came out late last year, I waited eagerly for it to hit the theatres because I could not wait to indulge myself in that cinematic experience. Bradley Cooper (Chris Kyle) and Sienna Miller star in the film’s lead roles alongside an incredible cast with a wide range of talent and experience including Sam Jaeger, Luke Grimes, and Jake McDorman, among others, who feature in the supporting roles (Eastwood). With nearly 255 kills to his name, 160 of which have been established by the Department of Defense, Kyle is undoubtedly the most dangerous marks man in the history of the American military. The film has received a lot of both positive and negative criticism from all quarters of the global society. On the down side, the film was labeled a pro-war, pro-Republican movie while on the positive side, it has been lauded for delivering a tense, heart-gripping, vivid tribute to its real-life subject. Watching the film, I could not help but notice the physical and emotional toll exacted on service men and women at the front lines. What struck me about the film was the revelation of the harrowing impact of wars on the disposition of service men and women like Chris Kyle, who have to go back to their normal lives at the end of military missions. The film inevitably reawakened my consciousness regarding wars and the consequences of war both to individuals and to nations; indeed the movie does make a statement that everything about wars boils down to families and life. To that effect, the underlying message behind Clint Eastwood’s vision of Kyle’s autobiography is that wars eventually cause individuals to be torn away from their families and to be deployed on missions at the embattled war front. Kyle leaves his newly wed wife and immediately heads to Iraq after the September 11 assault on the US; after harrowing experiences in the war, Kyle returns home to his wife and newborn son but finds it extremely hard to leave the war memories behind. Evidently, the war has taken a great toll on him and he can no longer focus on his home and family; evidently, every other mission and war tour takes Kyle further away from his family. With every war tour, Kyle becomes increasingly withdrawn and distant, and this seriously enrages his wife and greatly injures his family life. Having witnessed and experienced the harrowing scenes at the war front in Iraq, Kyle bears a significant mental and emotional burden for having been unable to adequate his brothers-in-arms (Eastwood). Compelled with guilt and a sense of duty to his nation and its people, Kyle is motivated to take on mission after mission and at the end of it all, Kyle goes back home a total wreck, despite his many successes at the war front. He is totally unable to adjust fully back into his civilian life because the people he was unable to save during the Iraqi war tours haunt him; at that moment in time, it becomes clear to me that wars do weigh people down to breaking point. The film made me realize that while protecting the rest of our families and us from the imminent threats of global terrorism and all that potentially endangers our lives, soldiers lose their humanity at the battlefront. Overall, what Clint Eastwood’s 2014 American biographical war drama film American Sniper puts clear is that wars are real and the physical as well as emotional toll they exact on individuals are real as well. The most astounding thing about this film was the revelation that indeed wars have a harrowing impact on the disposition of service men and women like Chris Kyle, who have to go back to their normal lives at the end of military missions. At the end of it all, wars are basically about family and about lives; while fighting for the honor of their nations, noble service men and women are torn away from the essence of their humanity, they become distant from their families and experience difficulties adjusting back into their civilian lives. Works Cited American Sniper. Dir: Eastwood, Clint. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2014. Film. Read More