good film, with an unpopular outlook on war

Rating: 8/10 (2 February 2015)

I personally found this film entertaining, and I was drawn in to Chris Kyle's story. The battle scenes are intense and are shot well but the movie is also a personal drama of a man who tries to do what he considers right, while holding back inner conflicts that arise from his tours in Iraq. Bradley Cooper also has an excellent performance.
I wanted the film to have had some Iraqi characters in a positive light. And because this is missing the film does have an implied bias towards America. Yet calling the film propaganda seems exaggerated.
I think the film is overly criticized. It is true that there isn't any questioning of the politics behind the Iraqi war but it's not explaining the war in Iraq is justified. It's not portraying war as being good for soldiers. Maybe the expectation is that every war film has to say something about war being despicable. And I admire films like All Quiet On The Western front, Paths Of Glory, and Platoon for showing how awful war can be. I would also say all 3 of those movies are better than this one. However, I think this film merits respect for going in a different direction even if it is the unpopular direction.