Tight, Elegant, Combat Scenes

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2015)

A story of the highly talented Seal Sniper Chris Kyle. This film avoids the complications of the political reasons America occupied Iraq. In its place, we follow the personal motivations of a young man who enjoys physical activity as a cowboy rodeo rider. His personal morality is summed up in just a few sentences: Don't be a bully. Don't be a victim. Be the protector that eliminates the bully. And so it logically follows that as a SEAL sniper he can practice what he preaches.
Kyle protects fellow Marines as they enter a war zone and do house to house searches. He has no qualms about killing anyone who is in the area to do harm to the Marines; and this includes women and children. While the viewer may blanch at the thought of killing children; please remember that these children are armed and used to destroy Marines in various ways. So far so good.
We follow Chris Kyle into his family life. Director Eastwood keeps the focus on the protagonist's Post Traumatic Stress. And Eastwood uses manipulative symbols to place the viewer in the shoes of Chris Kyle. Thus, I left the theater with a mild case of Post Traumatic Stress. Someone on the elevator said, "What is that, there?" and I freaked. I was still 'in the movie'; I was still in the war zone. When a movie does this to you, place you in the protagonist's position, it has elevated itself to a remarkable movie. I now understand Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. This movie is not entertainment. Rather, it is a journey in another person's life.
This movie has its references to the American Flag, yet it does not explore reasons why we are occupying other countries. It seems that American values such as the freedom to speak freely, to make personal decisions about religious choices; to make occupational career decisions freely; are enough justification to feel good about America.
Kyle is pictured as an honored legend, a protector of soldiers. He is not referred to as a "hero" in the movie. Certainly to volunteer for combat means he is placing his emotional life in the balance. And this movie follows him and displays the consequences of Post Combat Stress Syndrome. This means his memory will not let go of the combat environment which he has been in when he "comes home".
I have read many of the bad reviews of this movie. It seems that most of them are a personal try at propaganda making, exaggerated, emotional statements that roam from political views to moral views. These people simply damn Kyle for being a sniper. Yet, in Kyle's view, his conscious is clear. He is on a side, and he protects the soldiers of the side he is on. He does not return to the U.S. in any way confused as to his loyalties.
The elegance of these scenes has to do with Eastwood's direction and timing. He manipulates the viewer to live the stress, the wonder of combat in a sandstorm. Every scene follows logically and flows.
Is the movie simply a recruiting vehicle for the Navy? My answer is no. It shows the real life consequences for volunteering for war duty. To be propaganda, we would have to be placed in a state wherein we are making machine decisions using our emotions while the underlying facts are twisted. Since there is a great deal of discussion on IMDb, this discussion will make you "immune to propaganda" before you see the film. Discussion and free speech is what disables the propaganda machine. You won't be volunteering for duty tomorrow, or next week like a robot.
Is the movie true? Probably. The scenes are mostly ordinary incidents which are intensified by the fact that combat happened somewhere, sometime. You will follow Kyle's journey. This movie is not a Rambo movie. Kyle is never pictured making over the top advances towards the enemy. I recommend you see it.