Sniping at American Sniper

Rating: 3/10 (15 November 2017)

I went and saw this film at the recommendation of a cineaste. It is about a sniper who kills a lot of people and then is killed in civilian life himself The main trouble is his home life or lack of it and the less than full support that his wife gives - in the real life the widow says the portrayal was acceptable. I thought a lot of the goofs were to hide operationally sensitive material - but he never has a spotter. The sniper has a gopher who banters with him but no one with binoculars spotting targets. The sniper takes telephone calls more than once from his wife whilst he is under fire or looking for targets. The Baby is plastic (already er spotted by other reviewers) The child ages five years but Iraq seems to remain the awful mess that the Americans created, when the sniper signs up for another tour. An Iraqi asks ten or so American Christians to an obviously Islamic Meal (Eid al fitr) and no one senses that it is very odd that the Iraqi seems to have no suitable Muslim friends himself to share this important event with. The calluses on the host's elbows show he is a sniper but not The Sniper that they seek so they sort of let him go. The Sniper snoops around the host's house and a creaking floor board luckily gives a way the arms cache hidden beneath the host's floor. This is very lucky as the floor is composite terrazzo - and the cover is a metal plate and there is not a floor board in sight to creak. Will the snipers run of incredible luck run out ? Yes at the end of the film - kind of friendly fire In the Boer War 1899 - over 95% of bullet injuries were head wounds because the Tommies wouldn't stop looking over the top of boulders and the Boers would pick them off. And Dang me! a hundred years later the American were still doing it in Iraq - there is an awful lot of peeping over solid brick walls - one time even the Sniper does it and doesn't get his head blown off even tho the Daeesh sniper is waiting for him. So all in all - since we know the ending, a film to see in company and pick at.