Will American Sniper be the first War in the Middle East film to be widely embraced by America?

Rating: 10/10 (20 January 2015)

War is often one of the most successful movie genres because of the glory that comes with war and the seemingly endless number of stories you can tell from it. From "Apocalypse Now" to "Saving Private Ryan", there have been so many war stories told, celebrated, and cherished by their fans around the world. However, for some reason the wars that have struggled to be embraced (by Americans in particular) are the ones we read/see headlines of daily in the Middle East. It's hard to say why this is. Maybe it's the difference of opinion of what the wars are being fought for, maybe it's simply hard to see the glory in a war while it's still going on. It's interesting because there have been a few films made on the subject that have been praised like "Zero Dark Thirty" and "The Hurt Locker" (Oscar Winner for Best Picture) but I feel those films lacked a certain humanity to them that could draw people in emotionally. "American Sniper" may be the one film of this genre to be widely embraced by viewers.
"American Sniper" follows the story of former Navy SEAL Sniper Chris Kyle and his accomplishments during his four tours in Iraq. Bradley Cooper added 40 lbs of mass and muscle to play the hulking Kyle, who was a man consumed by warfare and justifying his over 160 confirmed kills down to the simplest reasoning of good vs evil. To be the type of man like Kyle or any other advanced military figure, I've always felt that you have to be wired a little differently. Obviously you have to be brave and willing to make sacrifices and hard decisions. But I've also felt like you need to see the world in a different way and be able to disconnect yourself emotionally from your environment, knowing what you are expected to do. Kyle was certainly one of these men and Cooper shines in being able to show how it was the most dangerous environment that made him feel the most alive.
It doesn't make sense to someone who has never experienced anything like fighting in a war. Why would anyone "choose" to keep returning to such a hostile environment once, let alone three more times after making it back alive once? It's a question that tortures Kyles wife Taya (Sienna Miller) who can't understand why Chris constantly chooses to put himself in harms way when she and their children are their for him? It's almost as if they can't quench the thirst for Chris like war can, which is seen when he cites the order of his life's priorities as "God, Country, and Family". We all know of stories of how war has changed men when they return home and Chris was definitely a prime example of how difficult it can be to re- acclimate to peaceful surroundings after spending so much time in hell.
It's frustrating to see so many articles published about the film where they criticize Kyle for his "lack of remorse for the people he killed" during his combat days. Kyle was very vocal on his feelings towards his kills as he only saw these men as enemies to kill or else they would kill him. For someone to criticize the actions of a man just based on watching a movie and to have never been a position to make decisions like he did is lazy and irresponsible. To criticize a man who was trained to make decisions involving life and death in order to protect members of his platoon and the rights we stand for as Americans is foolish.
"American Sniper" is the best film Eastwood has done since "Million Dollar Baby" and Bradley Cooper continues his recent run of Hollywood success. Both lent a hand in producing the film and giving a fair interpretation of Chris Kyles life and experiences. Maybe more than his wartime experiences were the scenes of him attempting to re-enter the "normal" world. These men are trained to take any potential distractions and repress it so that nothing clouds the objective at hand. An American Sniper...A "Legend".
4/5