Words | Natalie Burke
Chris Kyle was a US navy seal who, during his four tours in Iraq, managed 160 kills. He was decorated and declared the most lethal sniper in US military history. Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper is based on his memoir, in which he openly expresses no remorse for his actions and believes each “savage” he killed made the world a better place. From the outset it is clear the viewer is being implored to sympathise with Kyle’s (Bradley Cooper) point of view. There are times when the film is an interesting character study and an examination of how soldiers dehumanize not just the enemy, but themselves in order to get the job done. There is a little about his Texan upbringing. Kyle’s father delivers biblical clichés at the dinner table and teaches him how to handle a gun and “be a man”. His personal story however, quickly takes a back seat to the action of his time in Iraq. The action sequences are incredible and the tension is terrifically paced.
What is troubling about this film is the completely one dimensional representation of the war in Iraq.
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However, what is troubling about this film is the completely one dimensional representation of the war in Iraq. At the start of his first tour when Kyle is with the Marines doing a sweep, he comes across a family and shouts “I don’t care if this is your home, this is a war zone”. I was instantly reminded of numerous scenes in Team America World Police (America-fuck-yeah!) that depicted that deluded and unwavering sense of heroism. These soldiers consider themselves infallible. It is a fair enough association considering what the viewer is presented with. Eastwood seems to opt out of probing into the agency or motivations of the Iraqi men, women and children whose sole purpose in the film seems to be to kill American soldiers. There is no dawning realisation for Kyle just as there seems to be no broadening of scope for Eastwood’s depiction. Because of the intense focus on Kyle’s character and action sequences, the film ends up being a superficial endeavour and wastes what could have been an exciting opportunity to confront the moral complexity of the issues of the Iraq War.
At times Kyle’s obsession with “getting the bad guys” accompanied by his detachment to the act of murder, evokes the fervour associated with a teenager who is desperately trying to get to the next level of a video game. Kyle is practically sociopathic. A more interesting exploration would have been Kyle’s battle to retrieve his humanity. However, where this film excels is in the depiction of his private domain. When he returns home between tours, his inability to connect with his distraught wife and children is genuinely harrowing. There are poignant scenes showing the depths of Kyle’s PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Kyle sits at a family barbeque unable to relax, he surveys his surroundings with the same paranoia and unease as he does in combat. Unfortunately these scenes are too few and far between to invest the viewer fully. Overall, American Sniper provides very little insight into what is a really interesting, rich and multi-faceted subject matter.
