Entertaining, well made, and thought provoking

Rating: 8/10 (7 December 2015)

So much was made of this movie being this or that when it was released. the main theme of the criticisms was that it glorified war and dehumanized people of the region. I did not see any that; however, I can see how certain aspects may be interpreted that way.
Clint Eastwood has done a great job of showing the gradual toll that four tours of duty took on the hero. He also shows us how cruel and unforgiving war can be on all fronts. Based on that, I reject the notion that the movie is a glorifying war or violence. Yes, if you are watching a movie like this and it is so well made that you side with the hero, of course you cheer when he gets the bad guys, but is it really any different than Rocky Balboa knocking teeth out of his opponents' mouth?
I have not the autobiography that this movie was based on, but I hear that the script followed the book closely.
Put another check in the win column for Clint!