'American Sniper' does everything a war movie should

One of the movies I catch the most flak for not having seen yet is "American Sniper." I always thought it was cool, and I've always wanted to watch it, but never got a chance to . . . until now. Thankfully, Netflix added the Clint Eastwood film to its catalogue, so I had no excuse not to finally give it a watch.

Just like every biopic or historically based film, as soon as the credits roll, I am researching and cross-referencing just how historically accurate the movie was while also seeing how much was changed. Since Chris Kyle himself published an autobiography of the same name, Eastwood shouldn't have needed to change a lot, right? Let's find out.

The movie follows the life of Chris Kyle, one of the deadliest snipers in American history, and his journey as a member of SEAL Team 3 and his multiple tours in the Iraq War.

The opening of the movie follows the prologue of the book, in which he accounts his first confirmed kill: a mother walking alongside her child trying to ambush a U.S. convoy, which would also be the only non-military-aged-male kill he ever obtained.

It's a great opening that shows us not only the horrors and brutality of the Iraq war front but also builds so much tension with every bit of lead-up to Kyle actually pulling the trigger.

The scene is fairly accurate but changes the make of the grenade the lady is carrying for a much stronger threat than it was in real life.

Then, we flash back to his upbringing with a strict 'kill or be killed' father that pounded that mindset into Chris and his little brother from a very young age. Then, it jumps ahead to Chris' late high school / early college days of being a rodeo rider. This was true, he was an amateur bull and horse rider at this time before enlisting but quit after a near-fatal injury sent him to the hospital. All of that is mulled over in the movie and is replaced with his girlfriend cheating on him, giving him another reason to enlist.

His actual enlistment story is much different than the movie makes it to be. It shows Chris and his brother watching the bombings of U.S. embassies on TV and him immediately signing up the next day. That wasn't really true. He actually applied two years before but was rejected due to the injuries he sustained in that rodeo accident. Months after seeing the embassies attacked, he had become bored with college and work and joined the Navy.

Another big point in the movie and the Hell Week sequence is how old Chris was. The movie bashes him for being 30, when in reality he was only 24. I guess it just added more 'you can't make it out here' energy to the rising action.

Most of the combat scenes are pretty spot on compared to Kyle's recollection. The names of the enemies and their exact roles were changed to hold a little more weight behind Chris' mission, but mostly everything was accurate.

By far the best parts of the movie are when we see Chris back home in the U.S. in between deployments. Bradley Cooper is exceptional in his portrayal of Chris' PTSD and anger issues. Chris constantly denied that he had any sort of problems going on, but would flinch at loud noises, launch into fight-or-flight on a whim or just lash out for little to no reason.

Eastwood also did an excellent job at getting the audience to understand the mindset of these soldiers: they feel at home on the battlefield. Every minute Chris is back in the U.S., he wishes he could be back overseas protecting his fellow soldiers, which is such a heartbreaking dynamic to portray when he confronts his wife about it every time she suggests he finally retire.

I think "American Sniper" definitely earned its place in the ranks with some of the best military movies out there. It's a brilliant film and a very solid book as well. I highly recommend the consumption of both.