One of the better Iraq films

Rating: 9/10 (6 February 2020)

I have always been a bit confused that this film was thought of mere jingoistic propaganda by a certain segment of the left. I understand how that impression could come about because of the ending/credits. The ending is the weakest aspect of the film and much more should have been made of how Kyle died and the credits are pretty overtly chest thumping. The final few minutes greatly simplified the overall film and the principle reason why I can't fully recommend this film. However, everything that occurred before that is pretty darn interesting in how Eastwood and his writer are trying to reconcile competing tensions.
There is a troubling ambiguity at the heart of the film about what the film itself thinks of Kyle's military service. He is shown to be reactive and to be blunt not very self-reflective. He ends up joining the military in response to the embassy bombings in 1998. The decision comes across less because of a sense of patriotic duty than because of personal issues he was having on the very night the bombing occurred. In any case it is not a deeply felt ground project of Kyle's. Or how the film's central battle is ultimately "won" by Kyle only to have this Pyrrhic victory places his unit in greater danger. The film repeatedly shows the US's actions creating more insurgents. There's even a sarcastic invoking of Bush's "mission accomplished" in the film. The domestic scenes-especially in the car dealership-show a man deeply damaged by his experiences and he is largely unable to process it. The film is deeply paradoxical in the way it tries to square disapproval with the war in Iraq while sympathizes with a down to earth guy having the impulse to protect home and kin.
I think viewing the film in the larger context of Eastwood's filmography is important. In particular, Unforgiven (in the that essentially peak American genre of Westerns) is a pretty stark condemnation of how violence begets violence. Furthermore, the Eastwood sympathies towards Kyle are pretty much the same sort of sympathy he has had for boots on the ground displayed in Flag of Our Fathers and *critically* Letters from Iwo Jima. The film is fascinating in how it tries to reconcile the various tensions embedded in its narrative.
The film is technically stellar. (well fake baby aside) Eastwood continues to be one of the best restrained directors working today. There is a rawness to this film that sells the war scenes. Cooper really gives a fully engaging and heartbreaking performance. This is a film that may be too subtle for its own good.