Real

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2015)

We saw an Advanced Screening of American Sniper last week, and it was awesome. This movie was directed by Clint Eastwood and you can see his hand in it. It's not flashy, and it tells the story without adding to it like Hollywood tends to do with all war movies, especially ones about the recent wars our men have served in. You feel like you know at least a portion of what a sniper and his Seal team went through while serving in the Iraq War. But, most importantly, it also tells the story of an Extraordinary Man, a true American Hero, who devoted much of his life to his country, taking multiple tours to keep "his men" safe, and to protect his country. What an extraordinary movie. I can't say enough about it. Everyone should see this movie. See what this man did for our country. I would also recommend staying through the credits. All the film shown during the ending credits is from actual newsreels. An excellent movie. I wholly recommend it.
Unlike other Hollywood takes on our soldiers, and the war in Iraq, this movie just tells the story. No fluff, no hidden agendas, it just tells the story of who this man was and how much he did for our country. You can tell this movie was based off a book by someone who actually had fought and lived this life. It's very real, and thankfully the book wasn't ruined, like so many are, by embellishments.
It doesn't have the flashy coolness that studios tend to do when portraying our Navy Seals.It's cool to see that, but then you almost feel like what you are seeing is not real, inaccurate, just a Hollywood version of what our Seals do. Then the other extreme is the hidden anti-war agenda that is always being pushed. This movie just tells the story and after seeing it you feel like you know what it was like to be a Seal in Iraq. What clearing door to door for insurgents is like and what snipers do for not only their units, but for our country as well. How important they are in our fight against those who hate freedom. This story also shows what sacrifices spouses make in order for their men to be away fighting for their country. It also to me shows the best example of the hyper awareness that occurs and can't help bought be brought home when you have to be on guard constantly when deployed in a hot zone.
I honestly went into this movie thinking there was no way Bradley Cooper could portray Chris Kyle, but was totally wrong in my assumptions. He didn't just portray this larger than life hero, he becomes him. Truly amazing piece of work.