American Sniper & the heroism of difficult decisions

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2015)

My full review here: http://ericsgoodstuff.blogspot.com/2015/02/film-american-sniper- heroism-of-making.html
I think the real heroism of the character that Eastwood and Cooper give us in American Sniper is not in his courage in the face of death or in the combination of talent and determination that feed his skill at shooting, but in the resolve of character that allows Chris Kyle to make difficult decisions. This much is clear as he reflects on a letter written by a fallen soldier and comrade after a funeral. Although a poor decision and a surprise enemy onslaught resulted in his friend's death, Kyle says it is the doubt expressed in the letter that really caused him to die. Some may describe it as willed ignorance or justification of the many lives he ended from his eagle-eye perch, but it is actually a result of his facing the reality of his role as sniper and the reason for his service - in other words looking at the worst full in the face - that allows him to achieve calm acceptance of who he is and what he does. He is able to cordon off sections of debate that don't fall under his purview as a soldier. The reverence and clear respect for his situation allows him to consider shooting a child picking up a gun at the same time he scolds fellow soldiers for congratulating him on a kill.
While there are many life-affecting decisions that Chris Kyle makes in the film, two are key to the development of the character. The first is made in the spur of the moment by a cowboy waking up to the reality of the larger world. The second, made just as quickly, comes to a man realizing when it's time to come home. Watch for the symbolism of where Kyle puts his gun as a sign of this. As a sandstorm engulfs a messy, nearly-fatal operation for Kyle, and after scrambling to phone his wife mid-battle and tell her he's ready to truly leave the war, you'll see his gun, ammo, and helmet left in the sand signifying he's ready to accept and give in. Conventional wisdom might say the decision to go to war is the most difficult and self-sacrificing, but it's the choice to live that becomes so understandably elusive for many veterans. And as with so many suffering from withdrawal of one kind or another, Chris aids his own recovery by offering his friendship to veterans stateside after he's finished his military service.