By Ryan S

Film Summary

American Sniper, released in 2014 and directed by Clint Eastwood, follows the life of one of the most formidable snipers in history, Chris Kyle. This movie is based on his autobiography, also titled “American Sniper”, and in this book he recounts significant events that unfolded during the war between America and Iraq, as well as his battle with PTSD. Kyle watches the horrors of 9/11 unfold with his wife on TV, which inspires him to join the Navy SEAL’s. After discovering his talent for sniping, he began to rack up many grim feats such as sniping from a distance of 1.9km and killing 160 people. This took a toll on him mentally, as he began to behave erratically and became overly alert. After seeking help and managing his mental health, he began helping fellow soldiers deal with PTSD, and in 2013, one of those soldiers killed him. 

My Opinion on the Film

This movie is among my personal favourites. The first three quarters are intense and action-packed, but his experiences of PTSD and horrific death always leave me emotional. Although I have now uncovered the film’s historical inaccuracies and moments of overdramatisation, it is still a pleasure to watch.

Star Rating: ★★★★☆

Director’s Interpretations

A major event that occurred in the film would occur when Chris Kyle’s wife Taya says “Oh my God Chris!” with fear and urgency. Chris runs to find that she is watching the news, where they are broadcasting the planes flying into the twin towers live, an event we now know as 9/11. The director of the film, Clint Eastwood, employed various film techniques to emphasise the shock many Americans experienced during these moments. For example, Eastwood uses an extreme close up of Kyle while he is watching the TV. This accentuates the fear in Chris Kyle’s eyes as it transitions to anger, and the want to seek revenge. After all, this event would motivate Kyle to serve for his country as a SEAL in the first place. Furthermore, non-diegetic sound is employed by Eastwood in the form of an eerie soundtrack put in place while the towers are collapsing. This aims to emphasise the shock and terror normal civilians would have felt when watching this unfold live, and the screeching sounds attempt to convey the anger brewing in Chris Kyle, the same anger that would fuel him to join the Navy SEAL’s. Lastly, camera movements are used in the form of zoom to intensify the couple’s facial expressions. Zooming into Taya’s eyes accentuates her fear and shock, while Chris is fuming and eager for revenge. Thus, Eastwood utilises several language techniques to emphasise the shock and anger felt by the couple as they watched 9/11 unfold.

Another major event in the film would be when Chris Kyle shoots enemy sniper and the antagonist of the story, Mustafa. This event is significant as Mustafa had killed Kyle’s friend and fellow Navy SEAL, Ryan Job. This filled him with anger and determination to eventually snipe his nemesis. Towards the end of the movie, he scopes Mustafa from a distance of 1.9km from a rooftop surrounded by fellow soldiers. After being assured not to take the shot, Kyle pulls the trigger and lands the longest snipe ever documented at the time. A film technique utilised by Eastwood to heighten the intensity of the scene includes an extreme close up. After Chris Kyle shoots, the film transitions from the bullet travelling through the air to close ups of his face. This combined with the bullet slowly progressing towards the target creates greater suspense and excitement for viewers, as this scene is essentially the climax of the entire film, and it is clear Eastwood wanted to make it as intense as possible. Furthermore, non-diegetic sound is used through an intense and uncanny soundtrack implemented as he pulls the trigger. This soundtrack crescendos as he scopes down his target and says, “Do it for Biggles”, Ryan Job’s nickname. But as he shoots, the soundtrack climaxes and then goes silent as the bullet whooshes through the air and hits Mustafa, which heightens tension and suspense. Thus, Clint Eastwood utilises multiple film techniques to add to this exhilarating scene.

Essay - Assess the Historical Accuracy of American Sniper

American Sniper is a film directed by Clint Eastwood created in 2014 and follows the biographical account of the most lethal sniper in U.S military history, Chris Kyle. This encaptivating movie is based on his own autobiography and portrays him fighting in the war between the U.S and Iraq. The representations in the film are mostly accurate, although it dramatises and exaggerates events for entertainment. For example, the antagonist, Mustafa, is fictional. In reality, Kyle did make a record-breaking shot, but not to eliminate the enemy sniper, but instead an unidentified enemy with a grenade. However, information such as Kyle’s confirmed kill count (160), is indeed verified by sources gathered by the Pentagon. American Sniper is a movie and not a documentary, leading it to sacrifice historical accuracy for an enhanced plotline.

Firstly, American Sniper is not exactly historically accurate due to the incorrect portrayal of the opening scene of the film. This scene depicts a child being handed a grenade by a lady as Kyle watches through his scope. Their intentions are crystalised as the child moves towards an American convoy, and Kyle makes the tough decision to shoot him. While this confronting scene is suspenseful, it didn’t actually occur. In reality, Kyle took aim at a child who was sent to retrieve a rocket powered grenade, but simply couldn’t shoot. “I didn't fire”, he states in his autobiography. “I wasn't going to kill a kid, innocent or not. I'd have to wait until the savage who put him up to it showed himself on the street". Hence, this event is quite similar to Kyle’s account, with the exception of him pulling the trigger, which was simply included to display the horrific nature of the war in Iraq. Therefore, American Sniper is mostly accurate, though some scenes are twisted to make the movie entertaining for viewers.

Furthermore, American Sniper is not completely historically accurate due to the inaccurate depiction of the main protagonist of the story and the rival sniper “Mustafa”. In an exhilarating scene, Kyle takes aim at Mustafa from approximately 1.9 km away, as fellow snipers assure him the shot is impossible. Nevertheless, Kyle pulls the trigger, and incredibly the bullet journeys across the town and straight into Mustafa’s head. While he actually made a shot from this distance, cementing his name in the history books, the target was instead an unidentified insurgent who was attempting to launch a rocket at a U.S convoy. This information was verified by Kyle’s autobiography, military records, but also by the account of Chad Littlefield, who stated “Nobody I know would’ve taken that shot” in an interview after his service. So again, the film does a decent job of portraying the accounts of Chris Kyle, but it is evident that the film fictionalised Mustafa to add to an encapsulating storyline for audiences. Hence, American Sniper remains mostly true to the story of Chris Kyle, although it makes inaccurate adaptations to create a more entertaining story for viewers. 

Lastly, American Sniper is not entirely accurate as it contains flaws to heighten entertainment, but the film does include accurate information regarding Chris Kyle. In the movie, for instance, after Chris Kyle finishes serving his country, he experiences Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At the discretion of his wife, he goes to a psychiatrist who states, “Would you be surprised if I told you that the Navy has credited you with over 160 kills?”. This number is indeed accurate, as it was confirmed by the pentagon through a process known as shooter statements. After his missions in real life, Kyle completed the statements, which gathered relevant information such as targets, kills and distances. Following his retirement, the Pentagon gathered these sources and tallied up the kill count, which totalled to an unfathomable 160. Through including correct information, the film does contain correct information regarding Chris Kyle, but fictionalised events and characters that were implemented for entertainment partially sacrifice American Sniper’s historical accuracy, making it mostly accurate to Kyle’s experiences of the war in Iraq. 

In summary, American Sniper doesn’t follow the story of Chris Kyle to a tee, as it deviates from reality to create an amusing film. This is done through the incorrect portrayal of events in his life, fictionalised characters, but some of the information provided in the movie is factual. Ultimately, through the clashing of inaccurate portrayals and correct information, the film is mostly accurate to his real-life story. Despite his shock death in 2013, it is apparent Chris Kyle’s heroic legacy will live on, as he eliminated many terrorists and dangerous gangs, cementing himself as one of the greatest snipers in history. Despite not being entirely accurate, American Sniper will certainly help many more people remember his unwavering dedication to his country. 

Bibliography

How Accurate Is American Sniper? (looper.com) (Published by Kieran Fisher, April 5th, 2021)

American Sniper fact vs. fiction (slate.com) (Published by Courtney Duckworth, January 23rd, 2015)

American Sniper True Story vs. Movie (historyvshollywood.com) (Published by Kevin Lang, January 14th, 2015)

Fact-Checking the Film: 'American Sniper' (ew.com) (Published by Madison Vain, January 21st, 2015)

American Sniper (2014) - Plot - IMDb  (Author and Publish Date NA)