The story of Chris Kyle

Rating: 7/10 (25 February 2015)

Setting the political issues aside, I enjoyed this movie. It provided insight into the life and culture of Chris Kyle, the Navy Seals, the American military in Iraq and Texas. They tried to instill conflict and a plot into the story in various ways, but this is essentially a biography with the focus being on several tours in Iraq. There's not much of a story to tell. The scenes in Iraq felt realistic to me and give me the feeling that I have a better understanding of what it was like there.
About the political angle, I feel I have an open mind. I can enjoy a Michael Moore movie as well as movies like this. This movie definitely had a POV I may or may not agree with, but every movie has that. It didn't feel false or racist or manipulative or strident to me. It did seem to have a good deal of American jingoism. However, I was willing to forgive that because Bradly Cooper's performance made me feel sympathetic to his character. The bit at the end was a little too much for me, but I simply left the theatre a few minutes early.
Is Chris Kyle a hero? I'm not sure. But I didn't need to think that to enjoy this movie. It's interesting enough that this guy has become an icon to many in America.
I'd rate it about 7.5. If you're a Cooper fan you shouldn't miss this one.