BY JENNIFER BLUMBERG, STAFF WRITER
American Sniper captured the life of Chief Chris Kyle in a way that captivated audiences like never before. Clint Eastwood did an amazing job turning Kyle’s auto-biography, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History,
into a major motion picture with Bradley Cooper in the lead role. The movie hit theaters on Jan. 16, 2015 and already only a week later, it had made more than $200 million at domestic box offices.. American Sniper is an action packed movie filled with drama and war that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Chief Chris Kyle is one of the top snipers in the history of the American Armed Forces. Chief Chris Kyle served four tours during Operation Iraqi Freedom. As indicated on the Facebook page dedicated to him, he received multiple honors while he worked alongside the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and other agencies.
Eastwood directed the movie with a certain look.. He started the movie during Kyle’s first tour in Iraq. The film then flashes back to the events that led to that point. After each tour he would come back home, but after the third tour and watching two of his friends get injured and/or killed, he decided his next tour, would be his last. During his last tour, Kyle accomplished the goal he had set throughout his time in Iraq. When he returned from his fourth tour, he decided to help wounded veterans, which was good for him and his fellow veterans. That was until he helped a guy named Eddie.
Chief Kyle was killed along with his friend Chad Littlefield on February 2, 2013 by a fellow veteran, Eddie Ray Routh at a Texas shooting range. In the movie, Chris tells his wife Taya (Sienna Miller) that he was asked by a boy’s mother to help him out. This is the last conversation they had. After this scene, the screen goes black and says “Kyle was killed that day by a veteran he was trying to help”. The online news outlet The Guardian, published an article about how it is unknown to the public what caused Routh to kill Kyle and Littlefield. Routh was arrested and charged. Chief Chris Kyle’s funeral was held at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The way Clint Eastwood decided to present the video of his funeral procession and inside this funeral at the end, evokes strong, sad emotions. Yet it also represents the amount of respect Chief Chris Kyle was given, not only at his time of death, but throughout his entire life.
As expected, the theater is filled with members of the military both current actives and retired veterans. Nevertheless, they all could relate to the emotions that Eastwood was trying to get out his audience. When I went to see the film, all of the military men and women stood up at the end and saluted Chris Kyle. Seeing that made me realize the amount of pride military personnel have for their country and it is extraordinary and they are all heroes. Chief Kyle is an American hero but so is every single member of the American Armed Forces.
American Sniper is a movie everyone would love; yes it is rated R but it is most definitely worth the watch.
