Controversy Swirls Around 'American Sniper'

"American Sniper” Film Stirs Controversy About Chris Kyle And Our Military .




Okay, so, well, let me begin by saying right off the bat that I have not yet seen American Sniper as of yet. Like most people, I have seen the reviews for a long time, and was curious when it came to the controversy surrounding it.

So, I decided to take a look at the controversy, despite not having seen the movie just yet.

What ignited the controversy was a comment made on the Twitter page of actor Seth Rogen, when he suggested that the movie reminded him a bit of the fake film featured in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. It was supposed to be a Nazi propaganda film "Nation's Pride," to perk up sagging spirits among top-ranking Nazis, particularly Hitler and Goebbels, by documenting the exploits of a young, Aryan sharpshooter who, according to the back story in the film, managed to kill hundreds of invading Americans just on his own, while isolated and stuck by himself high atop a tower.

In that fake film within the real film, you see the young man (who plays a sharp shooter) fighting bravely for the cause that he believes in - Nazism. In fact, at some point, we see him carve a swastika into the wooden floor with his knife, and it looks professionally done, of course.

The young man who it is based on becomes an obvious hero to the Nazis of Tarentino's movie, and epitomizes the Nazi ideal.

If you watch the mini film (it is offered for viewing as one of the special features for the DVD, and runs about five minutes), it is actually quite hilarious. It is so exaggerated and over the top, that it is comedic. The "Americans" that are gunned down and defeated by a single German sniper in this feature all have decidedly German accents. There was one point where you can hear one of these 'Yanks" yelling "Take ze heel" (Take the hill).

Again, it is meant to be funny, and by my estimation, succeeds.

That little film short within a film became part of a controversy regarding another film this past weekend, when actor Seth Rogen made a comparison that has generated a considerable amount of controversy.

So, what did Rogen say?

This was his tweet on the afternoon of Sunday, the 18th:

“American Sniper kind of reminds me of the movie that’s showing in the third act of Inglorious Basterds.”

That little tweet of nineteen words wound up generating an enormous amount of attention and controversy since, with many condemning Rogen.

It escalated even further when filmmaker and social/political commentator Michael Moore also chimed in with a post of his own, in which he never mentioned the movie explicitly by name, although it seems clear that he was taking aim at American Sniper:

“My uncle killed by sniper in WW2. We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot us in the back. Snipers aren’t heroes. And invaders r worse.”

Later, he added a little more to continue his thoughts:

"But if you're on the roof of your home defending it from invaders who've come 7K miles, you are not a sniper, u are brave, u are a neighbor."

Naturally, these generated a storm of controversy, while the film itself nets huge numbers in terms of box office numbers.

Not surprisingly, both Rogen and Moore clarified their thoughts on the film before too long. There was a series of tweets by Rogen responded to the controversy that his remarks had initiated:

"I just said something "kinda reminded" me of something else. I actually liked American Sniper. It just reminded me of the Tarantino scene.

"I wasn't comparing the two. Big difference between comparing and reminding. Apples remind me of oranges. Can't compare them, though.

"But if you were having a slow news day, you're welcome for me giving you the opportunity to blow something completely out of proportion."

While Rogen generally could have been said to have backed down from any controversy and tried to diffuse the situation, Moore elaborated further on the movie itself by reviewing it, although he neither expanded on nor detracted from his earlier comments:

"Awesome performance from Bradley Cooper. One of the best of the year. Great editing. Costumes, hair, makeup superb!

"Oh ... and too bad Clint gets Vietnam and Iraq confused in his storytelling. And that he has his characters calling Iraqis "savages" throughout the film. But there is also anti-war sentiment expressed in the movie. And there's a touching ending as the main character is remembered after being gunned down by a fellow American vet with PTSD who was given a gun at a gun range back home in Texas -- and then used it to kill the man who called himself the 'America [sic] Sniper'.

"Also, best movie trailer and TV ads of the year."

Moore went on to write one more thing on the subject, using the occasion of the extended holiday weekend honoring the legacy of a peaceful man who himself was gunned down to make more points regarding snipers and what Americans feel about them:

"I think most Americans don't think snipers are heroes. Hopefully not on this weekend when we remember that man in Memphis, Tennessee, who was killed by a sniper's bullet."

So, that was the story of the recent controversy regarding the film, although I also recommend taking a look at the video above by The Young Turks, where they also discuss the controversial nature of the subject matter in the film.



Again, I will reiterate that I personally have not yet seen the movie. However, I did have a brief discussion with a friend after a commercial for this film aired recently, and he said that he was uncomfortable with the prospect that it might help legitimize the Iraq invasion and promote further military actions like it in the future. Hopefully, that is not true. The Iraq invasion was a debacle, and aggressively pursued for false reasons. Does anyone really need reminding at this point that Americans were assured that impressive, even overwhelming American military might would be on display, and that American troops would be welcomed by Iraqis with open arms as liberators? Most likely, I also hardly need to remind anyone reading this that these things did not happen. If anything, the war showed the American military's limitations, and had not only Iraqis, but people around the world, viewing Americans as a threat to world peace, and a nation that acted narrowly in self-interest, and which could not be trusted.

However, Moore does suggest that the film seems to take a more nuanced approach to the war, and the impact that the horrors of war have on those fighting it.

One way or the other, however, the film has certainly generated plenty of responses, for better or for worse, and has stimulated a ton of debate.




Here are some links to the story, including the sources for the quotes (which are available plenty of other places by now) that I used for this blog entry:


Seth Rogen Compares ‘American Sniper’ to Nazi Propaganda

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2015/01/19/seth-rogen-compares-american-sniper-nazi-propaganda



Seth Rogen, Michael Moore ignite 'Sniper' debate

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2015/01/19/seth-rogen-michael-moore-blast-american-sniper/21988391/




Michael Moore Offers Opinion On 'American Sniper' Following Sniper Tweets

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/19/michael-moore-american-sniper_n_6500658.html




Seth Rogen Clarifies 'American Sniper' Tweet by Christopher Rosen of The Huffington Post, January 10, 2015:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/19/seth-rogen-american-sniper_n_6503586.html



'American Sniper' gets dissed by two filmmakers

http://www.usatoday.com/videos/life/movies/2015/01/19/22008197/