7 Big Lies 'American Sniper' Is Telling America

[planosteve]

There is a backlash against the film's misleading take on sniper Chris Kyle's character.
The film American Sniper, based on the story of the late Navy Seal Chris Kyle, is a box office hit, setting records for an R-rated film released in January. Yet the film, the autobiography of the same name, and the reputation of Chris Kyle are all built on a set of half-truths, myths and outright lies that Hollywood didn't see fit to clear up.

Here are seven lies about Chris Kyle and the story that director Clint Eastwood is telling:

1. The Film Suggests the Iraq War Was In Response To 9/11: One way to get audiences to unambiguously support Kyle's actions in the film is to believe he's there to avenge the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The movie cuts from Kyle watching footage of the attacks to him serving in Iraq, implying there is some link between the two.

2. The Film Invents a Terrorist Sniper Who Works For Multiple Opposing Factions: Kyle's primary antagonist in the film is a sniper named Mustafa. Mustafa is mentioned in a single paragraph in Kyle's book, but the movie blows him up into an ever-present figure and Syrian Olympic medal winner who fights for both Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and the Shia Madhi army.

3. The Film Portrays Chris Kyle as Tormented By His Actions: Multiple scenes in the movie portray Kyle as haunted by his service. One of the film's earliest reviews praised it for showing the “emotional torment of so many military men and women.” But that torment is completely absent from the book the film is based on. In the book, Kyle refers to everyone he fought as “savage, despicable” evil. He writes, “I only wish I had killed more.” He also writes, “I loved what I did. I still do. If circumstances were different – if my family didn't need me – I'd be back in a heartbeat. I'm not lying or exaggerating to say it was fun. I had the time of my life being a SEAL.” On an appearance on Conan O'Brien's show he laughs about accidentally shooting an Iraqi insurgent. He once told a military investigator that he doesn't “shoot people with Korans. I'd like to, but I don't.”

4. The Real Chris Kyle Made Up A Story About Killing Dozens of People In Post-Katrina New Orleans: Kyle claimed that he killed 30 people in the chaos of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a story Louisiana writer Jarvis DeBerry calls “preposterous." It shows the sort of mentality post-war Kyle had, but the claim doesn't appear in the film.

5. The Real Chris Kyle Fabricated A Story About Killing Two Men Who Tried To Carjack Him In Texas: Kyle told numerous people a story about killing two alleged carjackers in Texas. Reporters tried repeatedly to verify this claim, but no evidence of it exists.

6. Chris Kyle Was Successfully Sued For Lying About the Former Governor of Minnesota:Kyle alleged that former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura defamed Navy SEALs and got into a fight with him at a local bar. Ventura successfully sued Kyle for the passage in his book, and a jury awarded him $1.845 million.

7. Chris Kyle's Family Claimed He Donated His Book Proceeds To Veterans' Charity, But He Kept Most Of The Profits: The National Review debunks the claim that all proceeds of his book went to veterans' charities. Around 2 percent – $52,000 – went to the charities while the Kyles pocketed $3 million.

Although the movie is an initial box office hit, there is a growing backlash against its simplistic portrayal of the war and misleading take on Kyle's character. This backlash has reportedly spread among members of the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences, which could threaten the film's shot at racking up Oscars.

http://www.alternet.org/culture/7-big-lies-american-sniper-telling-america

[Red Oak]

"This backlash has reportedly spread among members of the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences"

What a Shock !

[Sangersteve]

When I first encounter a slam piece, be it left or right generated, I like to consider the source. Then look into the claims made.

The entire piece contains one bit of truth, Jesse(Conspiracy Theory) did win in court.

Even Snopes won't buy most of it.

I sometimes post stuff that may turn out to be not as real as I would like, but I at least find 2 or 3 confirming stories before posting.

But when your only source is a left leaning conspiracy theory site who uses Salon, media matters, Huffpo and many other sites not known to do actual reporting, as fact, this is what you get.

I guess the bad thing about stuff like this story is that many accept them without research.

[planosteve]

How about the same article from a right wing web site?
http://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/01/no_author/7-big-lies/
Happy Kris Kyle Day.

[Sangersteve]

Well can you imagine, the source is ........................alternet, I guess Lew doesn't check for validity either.

I'll bet you can find this story parroted in other places that aren't known for research.

And that is what is wrong with most web media, left or right. Find a story that suits your narrative,cut,copy,paste and bingo the story is magically true.

[GFB]

"This backlash has reportedly spread among members of the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences"

What a Shock !

Hollywood made 5 or 6 movies about the Iraq war..during the Bush administration.

They all made the U.S. look bad..and they all bombed horribly at the box office..this is the one movie about that war that is hugely successful...or course they hate it.

Their bogus narrative is being..shot to hell.

[planosteve]

This story should get more interesting when the trial of the guy that killed starts in the next week or 2. I'm interested in finding out why anyone would want to try to "help" someone with PTSD, what we used to call guilty concience, by taking him to blast away at a gun range.

[ralph]

Info I hear just tonight is that the guy was a prison guard that claims 'ptsd' but hasn't been diagnosed with it . Talk is that there is a possibility that he was a muslim convert and talk was that he never saw combat . I don't know , just telling what I read , just conversation , just saying . I'll see if I can get a link .

[ralph]

found the link , --- http://allenbwest.com/2015/02/chris-kyl ... ed-muslim/ ---

[planosteve]

But the last thing the media would ever consider is that Routh could have been a convert to Islam. It’s an interesting and discomfiting theory.

And without one iota of evidence. But, I would expect that on Allen Wests website.

[planosteve]

But the last thing the media would ever consider is that Routh could have been a convert to Islam. It’s an interesting and discomfiting theory.

And without one iota of evidence. But, I would expect that on Allen Wests website.

[ralph]

gotta wait and see what develops I guess .

[Red Oak]

I have two friends that suffer from PTSD, we hunt and shoot together. Not everyone with PTSD is a homicidal nut job.

[jellowrestling]

There is a backlash against the film's misleading take on sniper Chris Kyle's character.
The film American Sniper, based on the story of the late Navy Seal Chris Kyle, is a box office hit, setting records for an R-rated film released in January. Yet the film, the autobiography of the same name, and the reputation of Chris Kyle are all built on a set of half-truths, myths and outright lies that Hollywood didn't see fit to clear up.

Here are seven lies about Chris Kyle and the story that director Clint Eastwood is telling:

1. The Film Suggests the Iraq War Was In Response To 9/11: One way to get audiences to unambiguously support Kyle's actions in the film is to believe he's there to avenge the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The movie cuts from Kyle watching footage of the attacks to him serving in Iraq, implying there is some link between the two. There IS a link between the two. Many young people (like Kyle) enlisted because of 9/11, then wound up fighting in Iraq. Those two things are not unrelated.

2. The Film Invents a Terrorist Sniper Who Works For Multiple Opposing Factions: Kyle's primary antagonist in the film is a sniper named Mustafa. Mustafa is mentioned in a single paragraph in Kyle's book, but the movie blows him up into an ever-present figure and Syrian Olympic medal winner who fights for both Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and the Shia Madhi army. First bio-pic EVER that used artistic license to tell a story

3. The Film Portrays Chris Kyle as Tormented By His Actions: Multiple scenes in the movie portray Kyle as haunted by his service. One of the film's earliest reviews praised it for showing the “emotional torment of so many military men and women.” But that torment is completely absent from the book the film is based on. In the book, Kyle refers to everyone he fought as “savage, despicable” evil. He writes, “I only wish I had killed more.” He also writes, “I loved what I did. I still do. If circumstances were different – if my family didn't need me – I'd be back in a heartbeat. I'm not lying or exaggerating to say it was fun. I had the time of my life being a SEAL.” On an appearance on Conan O'Brien's show he laughs about accidentally shooting an Iraqi insurgent. He once told a military investigator that he doesn't “shoot people with Korans. I'd like to, but I don't.” Again, first bio-pic EVER to use artistic license to tell its story

4. The Real Chris Kyle Made Up A Story About Killing Dozens of People In Post-Katrina New Orleans: Kyle claimed that he killed 30 people in the chaos of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a story Louisiana writer Jarvis DeBerry calls “preposterous." It shows the sort of mentality post-war Kyle had, but the claim doesn't appear in the film. What does that have to do with the movie? The movie uses the book as a reference, and the screenplay was not written to be faithful to it

5. The Real Chris Kyle Fabricated A Story About Killing Two Men Who Tried To Carjack Him In Texas: Kyle told numerous people a story about killing two alleged carjackers in Texas. Reporters tried repeatedly to verify this claim, but no evidence of it exists. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, but so what? I've been in a lot of bars, and I've heard all kinds of unbelievable stories

6. Chris Kyle Was Successfully Sued For Lying About the Former Governor of Minnesota:Kyle alleged that former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura defamed Navy SEALs and got into a fight with him at a local bar. Ventura successfully sued Kyle for the passage in his book, and a jury awarded him $1.845 million. What does that have to do with the story?

7. Chris Kyle's Family Claimed He Donated His Book Proceeds To Veterans' Charity, But He Kept Most Of The Profits: The National Review debunks the claim that all proceeds of his book went to veterans' charities. Around 2 percent – $52,000 – went to the charities while the Kyles pocketed $3 million. Was that in the movie?

Although the movie is an initial box office hit, there is a growing backlash against its simplistic portrayal of the war and misleading take on Kyle's character. This backlash has reportedly spread among members of the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences, which could threaten the film's shot at racking up Oscars.

http://www.alternet.org/culture/7-big-lies-american-sniper-telling-america

If you think that Americans want to see a movie about clarifying the "half-truths, myths and outright lies" about Chris Kyle, then by all means, write that screenplay. This was a different movie, and millions of people have lined up to see it, giving it rave reviews.

[BigTex]

"The Longest Day" is a great movie, but I'm sure there are things in it that probably didn't happen, nor were in Cornelius Ryan's book.

"Patton" was a great movie, but I'm sure there are things in it that probably didn't happen or that the real George Patton never actually said.

"The Bridge on the River Kwai" is a great movie but it is not historically accurate.

"The King of Kings" - who knew Jesus was a blond-haired, blue-eyed Hebrew?

"JFK" - what can I say?

And the list goes on.

They're MOVIES.

[ralph]

excellent points Big Tex !!

[PlanoSooner]

Examples of Great Americans will always be torn down by the left who hates America so much

[BillB]

I stopped seeing movies like this. Hollywood will make it into a lie when the truth would be a better story.
I saw the "Lone Survivor" and really liked it. I came home and read up on it and discovered the movie was more lie that the truth.

[planosteve]

When you add all the "artistic liscense" that went into writing the book to that added by the movie, it gets to be a pretty confusing picture. That's why I think the trial is going be interesting as far as learning about what Kyle was really like.

[ralph]

I think that Kyle made about 150 confirmed kills . To me that's the whole story , Kyle did good work . The rest of the story is pretty unimportant to me .