And the boy in Fallujah with the RPG in his arms? Kyle kills him, and the woman with him. It's Kyle's initiation as sniper. We as audience are asked to listen to Kyle's fellow SEAL's reassuring justification for his first kills (which he is shown feeling guilty for), and to empathize, not with the boy in the devastated street, but with a "tormented" man becoming a hardened killer, who calls Iraqis "savages" in several scenes.
Snipers are protectors, and invaders are The Good Guys. Iraq children are legitimate targets, and Iraq is battleground and backdrop for American deeds and emotions - nothing more.
In war propaganda, a huge genre in which "American Sniper" stands as a well-acted, high-production-values example, fictional narratives borrow just enough from true-life stories to reinforce already established memes. Cowboy, family man, Navy SEAL, sniper, trainer, author, veteran, celebrity, murderer, murder victim of another tormented combat veteran - Chris Kyle was a mystery, as any human being is. "American Sniper" portrays the life of a flawed "hero" who is also a blank on which other Americans can project rage, hatred and ignorant misconceptions about Iraqis and other Arabs, as well as their -- our -- many conflicted feelings about war, "the troops" and veterans.
As the US bombing campaign continues in Syria and Iraq, with the issue of a newAuthorization to Use Military Force hanging, "American Sniper" has come out at a fraught moment in US foreign policy. I left the movie theatre with an aching head and a heavy heart, and the feeling that this is a very dangerous film.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
1
