Beckys Favourite Film: American Sniper WTF?!

Becky told me last week when we went bouldering, that American Sniper was the best thing she'd seen for a long time. I was more than a little alarmed by this, no the words are 'fucking shocked'. I've known her for years and she is not one for action/war films, she is a glutton for chick flick and comedy. But I guessed it may have been her boyfriend who wanted to see it, and yes it was. I have two things against it: 1) Bradley Cooper, who I want to punch in the face. 2) It looks like a load of tinsel shit for gun loving paranoid nut jobs, or Call of Duty fans.

The film is based on Chris Kyles autobiography. There seems to be a lot of these Navy Seal types coming out with publishing deals, and a nice little industry of turning those (often badly written) books into even more badly written films. What else was I to expect?

With great reluctance, all this means I now need to see this fucking film. Thanks a lot Becky!

I've been following a line of personal research and learning on the Iraq war for pretty much the last two years. Sometimes obsessively so. I've tried to read between all the rhetoric, the extremes and the heightened emotions this subject always seems to bring out in Americans. I find it all very disturbing how otherwise rational people get so worked up by things they haven't seemed to think through. Many Americans seem unable to think objectively, they seem to be ruled entirely by emotion. Just look at the comments section on any of the reviews for this film, it is filled with people who exist to wholly stamp anything they deem as critical. Why do they take it so personally?

Talking of emotions, I'm guessing this is where the film really shines at heart wrenching manipulation of the highest degree. This is probably how Becky decided this was a great film. This is why I also hated Saving Private Ryan, not the content of the story, but the gushing sentimentality to the point of cheese. It was patronising to me, and I've read that some veterans who were there weren't too happy either.

Becky and her boyfriend would probably not be interested in watching anything other than films that are overall reassuring. So it shouldn't really surprise me that she liked this. We'll have to see...