American Sniper More About What They Do For Each Other

'American Sniper' shocks critics 
Time Gazette
Brian Mosely
Sunday, January 25, 2015

It's about soldiers looking out for and taking care of each other, long after the battle is done.

American Sniper surprised box-office watchers by pulling in a huge haul over the four-day weekend -- taking over $105 million during its first weekend of wide release.

The film is up for several Oscars this year, including one for star Bradley Cooper, who bulked up 30 pounds and learned how to speak Texan for the role of Navy Seal Chris Kyle.

But the movie isn't about the 160 kills Kyle reportedly made. It's about the impact that war has on our soldiers and the long road back to their loved ones.

There really hasn't been a film that tackled the topic since the 1946 film "The Best Years of Our Lives," about three returning World War II vets and challenges they encountered returning to "normal life."

What they suffered from wasn't called PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) back then -- instead you'd hear phrases like "shell-shock" or "combat fatigue."

For a great many vets, it wasn't called anything at all -- they just suffered silently, but their families knew.

Unfortunately, over the years, there's also been plenty of the "crazed solider returns from war and then does something terrible" movies.

Ask a vet sometime what they think about them.

In American Sniper, Cooper and director Clint Eastwood show the impact that combat has on the mind of our troops.

The blank stare when it's obvious Chris Kyle is reliving the horror. A sudden noise that rackets up the heart rate. Even a typical drive in traffic can generate reminders of combat.

It's about soldiers looking out for and taking care of each other, long after the battle is done.

But as usual, there has been the typical belly-aching from those who see our military as nothing but ruthless killers, pointing out that Cooper and the rest of the cast are constantly calling the enemy "savages" in the movie.
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This is a huge shock to them as well

'American Sniper' hauls in $200 million at box office
CNN
Brian Steler
January 25, 2015

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

"American Sniper" is on track to make $200 million in its first ten days of nationwide release, a feat matched by only a few R-rated films in Hollywood history.

The Oscar-nominated Iraq War movie, starring Bradley Cooper as the legendary sniper Chris Kyle, may go on to beat 2004's "The Passion of the Christ," which currently ranks as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.
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