American Sniper is a war drama movie directed by Clint Eastwood written for the screen by Jason Hall. It is based on Chris Kyle’s autobiography, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History. The movie follows the life of Chris Kyle, considered to be the deadliest sniper in the history of U.S. military. The conflict in the movie is the heavy toll that wars take on an individual. It is a first-hand account of how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects people after witnessing or taking part in a war. Kyle is played by Bradley Cooper in the movie.
Kyle enlists in the U.S. Navy and qualifies for special training; he becomes a U.S. Navy SEALs sniper. After his qualification he meets Taya (Sienna Miller) and the two get married. After his marriage, Kyle is sent to Iraq after the 9/11 attack. His very first kills are a woman and child who were attacking the Marines with an RPG. Kyle is upset at this encounter. He earns the nickname “Legend” after many of his kills help the U.S. forces. In a failed mission he is pinned down by an enemy sniper, Mustafa.
When Kyle returns home, he is not able to pay attention to his family and Taya is concerned about it. On his second tour, he’s successful in taking out his targets but upon his return he’s even more distant from his family. The memories of war haunt him. On his third tour to Iraq, Mustafa kills one of Kyle’s unit members, Ryan. The need for revenge drives Kyle into his fourth tour. Taya even tells him she might not wait for him this time.
On the fourth tour he kills Mustafa with a long distance shot and goes home. There a psychiatrist treats him. Kyle confesses he’s haunted by the people whom he couldn’t save. Kyle starts help with veterans that are wounded in the hospital and adjusts to home life. After some years while helping a veteran, he is killed by the veteran. This movie shows us the grim side of war.