Iraqis Weigh In on ‘American Sniper’ – and Their Views Will Shock You

[mystery-ak]

http://www.mrctv.org/blog/iraqis-weigh-american-sniper-and-their-views-will-shock-you

Iraqis Weigh In on ‘American Sniper’ – and Their Views Will Shock You
By Barbara Boland | 3 hours ago

While some are howling that American Sniper is a racist film, Iraqis themselves have a surprising view of the movie, which played to sold-out theaters in Baghdad during its first week. 

“When [Chris Kyle] was hesitating to shoot [the child holding the RPG] everyone [in the theater] was yelling ‘Just shoot him!’” said Gaith Mohammed, an Iraqi in his 20s interviewed by the Global Post.

“Some people watching were just concentrating, but others were screaming ‘F*ck, shoot him! He has an IED, don’t wait for permission!!’” Mohammed laughed, recounting the film’s many tense scenes when US Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, played by Bradley Cooper, radios in for authorization to take out a potential threat in his crosshairs.

The Global Post reporter asked Mohammed if he thought the movie was “racist or anti-Arab,” and his answer is telling:

“No, why? The sniper was killing terrorists! The only thing that bothered me was when he said he didn’t know anything about the Quran!”

Although the movie was so popular that Iraqi moviegoers had to book their tickets in advance, the Mansour Mall, an upscale theater in Baghdad, a week after its release, pulled the movie after its first week. Unofficially, a theater employee told the Global Post  it’s, “because the hero of this film boasts of killing more than 160 Muslims.”

It’s possible that despite the movie’s popularity, the theater fears reprisals from radicals like the Islamic State militants that have taken over northern Iraq. An Iraqi government ministry employee said he was happy the movie was pulled because he thinks it’s “against all Muslims” and that Chris Kyle is “bloodthirsty like all the American troops.”

But the movie must be incredibly popular in Iraq, though, because even this official cops to watching the movie twice in the theater and once at his friend’s house.

The 20-something Mohammed sheds light on why the movie might be so popular: “I love watching war movies because, especially now, they give me the strength to face ISIS.”

[musiclady]

Why do they love the movie? It's because unlike Fatso Moore and others, they understand what it took to make them free!
   

LOVE this comment.

And LOVE our troops who DID make them free!

[EC]

Not a shock in the slightest.

[massadvj]

Not a shock in the slightest.

Have you seen the movie?  I'd be interested in your thoughts on it.

[EC]

I have.

Overall, it's a very accurate look at probably the most difficult job on the ground (unlike most ground pounders, a sniper KNOWS he has killed. He doesn't have the luxury of thinking "Everyone was shooting, so who knows who actually got the kill shot." The only ones who get that same level of stress are drone pilots, believe it or not!)), and it totally nails what coming home after a tour is like. The bit where Kyle is about to go out again is a little one dimensional - it misses out the anticipation you feel, instead prioritizing more the worries that you also feel.

I did expect a bit of the old "USA, USA!" vibe and was pleasantly surprised at it's lack. While it is a patriotic movie, it doesn't make that a fetish - it's just a story about a man and his family in trying circumstances. Call it human exceptionalism, rather than American exceptionalism if you like. 

One thing that some people might find jarring - I know they did in the book - is the curiously dispassionate tone to the combat sequences. Almost like Kyle is looking over his own shoulder at his actions and reporting them. Anyone who's been in a hot zone won't notice it at all, the separation of your emotions from the job is totally normal, but those who haven't been will find room for criticism there.

I watched it in a crowded theatre. At the end, there was dead silence and people filed out quietly, not even talking among themselves. They were all current active duty soldiers. Spoke volumes, that.

It was, in many ways, uncomfortable to watch. Well worth it though.

Edit to add - in terms of feel, the closest I can come to is "The Killing Fields."

[massadvj]

I have.

Overall, it's a very accurate look at probably the most difficult job on the ground (unlike most ground pounders, a sniper KNOWS he has killed. He doesn't have the luxury of thinking "Everyone was shooting, so who knows who actually got the kill shot." The only ones who get that same level of stress are drone pilots, believe it or not!)), and it totally nails what coming home after a tour is like. The bit where Kyle is about to go out again is a little one dimensional - it misses out the anticipation you feel, instead prioritizing more the worries that you also feel.

I did expect a bit of the old "USA, USA!" vibe and was pleasantly surprised at it's lack. While it is a patriotic movie, it doesn't make that a fetish - it's just a story about a man and his family in trying circumstances. Call it human exceptionalism, rather than American exceptionalism if you like. 

One thing that some people might find jarring - I know they did in the book - is the curiously dispassionate tone to the combat sequences. Almost like Kyle is looking over his own shoulder at his actions and reporting them. Anyone who's been in a hot zone won't notice it at all, the separation of your emotions from the job is totally normal, but those who haven't been will find room for criticism there.

I watched it in a crowded theatre. At the end, there was dead silence and people filed out quietly, not even talking among themselves. They were all current active duty soldiers. Spoke volumes, that.

It was, in many ways, uncomfortable to watch. Well worth it though.

Edit to add - in terms of feel, the closest I can come to is "The Killing Fields."

Very interesting.  I appreciate you taking the time to share your impressions.

I know what that "looking at your own actions" feels like.  I haven't been through war, but I have been through some extremely stressful situations, including having to make split-second life-or-death decisions when my wife nearly died from cancer complications last year.  It was very much as you describe.  Watching someone else going through the process of listening to the prognosis, talking to the doctors, telling them what I wanted them to do.  I think it is a physical and psychological defense mechanism.

Like you, I liked the movie quite a bit.  Maybe the most interesting aspect of it for me was how Kyle expressed that he did not feel guilty for killing, but for failing to kill so many who managed to succeed against our guys.  While I have no doubt that Kyle probably felt that way, I doubt that he was truly unaffected by the deaths of those he shot. 

[Bigun]

I have.

Overall, it's a very accurate look at probably the most difficult job on the ground (unlike most ground pounders, a sniper KNOWS he has killed. He doesn't have the luxury of thinking "Everyone was shooting, so who knows who actually got the kill shot." The only ones who get that same level of stress are drone pilots, believe it or not!)), and it totally nails what coming home after a tour is like. The bit where Kyle is about to go out again is a little one dimensional - it misses out the anticipation you feel, instead prioritizing more the worries that you also feel.

I did expect a bit of the old "USA, USA!" vibe and was pleasantly surprised at it's lack. While it is a patriotic movie, it doesn't make that a fetish - it's just a story about a man and his family in trying circumstances. Call it human exceptionalism, rather than American exceptionalism if you like. 

One thing that some people might find jarring - I know they did in the book - is the curiously dispassionate tone to the combat sequences. Almost like Kyle is looking over his own shoulder at his actions and reporting them. Anyone who's been in a hot zone won't notice it at all, the separation of your emotions from the job is totally normal, but those who haven't been will find room for criticism there.

I watched it in a crowded theatre. At the end, there was dead silence and people filed out quietly, not even talking among themselves. They were all current active duty soldiers. Spoke volumes, that.

It was, in many ways, uncomfortable to watch. Well worth it though.

Edit to add - in terms of feel, the closest I can come to is "The Killing Fields."

Spot on!

   

[musiclady]

I have.

Overall, it's a very accurate look at probably the most difficult job on the ground (unlike most ground pounders, a sniper KNOWS he has killed. He doesn't have the luxury of thinking "Everyone was shooting, so who knows who actually got the kill shot." The only ones who get that same level of stress are drone pilots, believe it or not!)), and it totally nails what coming home after a tour is like. The bit where Kyle is about to go out again is a little one dimensional - it misses out the anticipation you feel, instead prioritizing more the worries that you also feel.

I did expect a bit of the old "USA, USA!" vibe and was pleasantly surprised at it's lack. While it is a patriotic movie, it doesn't make that a fetish - it's just a story about a man and his family in trying circumstances. Call it human exceptionalism, rather than American exceptionalism if you like. 

One thing that some people might find jarring - I know they did in the book - is the curiously dispassionate tone to the combat sequences. Almost like Kyle is looking over his own shoulder at his actions and reporting them. Anyone who's been in a hot zone won't notice it at all, the separation of your emotions from the job is totally normal, but those who haven't been will find room for criticism there.

I watched it in a crowded theatre. At the end, there was dead silence and people filed out quietly, not even talking among themselves. They were all current active duty soldiers. Spoke volumes, that.

It was, in many ways, uncomfortable to watch. Well worth it though.

Edit to add - in terms of feel, the closest I can come to is "The Killing Fields."

How did it compare to "The Hurt Locker" in your view?

I found that hard to watch, but our son said it captured a lot of the "feel" of combat....... the tension, the coming home and being lost, the camaraderie there, the tragic, sudden loss....... a lot of that.

[flowers]

How did it compare to "The Hurt Locker" in your view?

I found that hard to watch, but our son said it captured a lot of the "feel" of combat....... the tension, the coming home and being lost, the camaraderie there, the tragic, sudden loss....... a lot of that.

great question. I was able to watch that one. Good movie

[EC]

How did it compare to "The Hurt Locker" in your view?

I found that hard to watch, but our son said it captured a lot of the "feel" of combat....... the tension, the coming home and being lost, the camaraderie there, the tragic, sudden loss....... a lot of that.

My first instinct was to say it's better than the Hurt Locker, but it isn't, really. Just different. Makes sense, since they are looking at two completely different aspects of combat. On the homeside of things, they are pretty much equal - I'd give Sniper a VERY slight edge because Locker slightly sanitizes things. It certainly reduces the loss and confusion you feel when you come home - think of it as being married to a group of people, through thick and thin, then suddenly you are single again and thrown into a different culture and country, to boot.

[musiclady]

My first instinct was to say it's better than the Hurt Locker, but it isn't, really. Just different. Makes sense, since they are looking at two completely different aspects of combat. On the homeside of things, they are pretty much equal - I'd give Sniper a VERY slight edge because Locker slightly sanitizes things. It certainly reduces the loss and confusion you feel when you come home - think of it as being married to a group of people, through thick and thin, then suddenly you are single again and thrown into a different culture and country, to boot.

Thanks, EC.

I think it's really important for the American people to try to grasp the difficulty of young men and women coming home from combat.  I think the military does a pretty good job in helping spouses, but it didn't do much for us parents.  It was our son who recommended our watching a couple of movies, including Hurt Locker, because he thought it would help us understand the feel of things for him.

btw, he expressed his agony at what he had experienced and seen by composing music.  It helped him get some of his emotions out.

Edited to add:  We haven't talked with him about Sniper.  We'll be doing that soon, though....

[aligncare]

After my tour of duty I could not bring myself to watch any of the post Vietnam era war films. My emotions have always been too close to the surface. I felt a great affection for the South Vietnamese people.

Finally I forced myself to see Full Metal Jacket. Mistake. I wept uncontrollably at the atrocities committed against Vietnamese villagers and vowed never to watch another film about the Vietnam war, though I did eventually see parts of Apocalypse. Now.

I probably will see American sniper. But, not having been deployed in Iraq makes a big difference emotionally speaking. It was not my war. I think I would quietly rejoice in the death of terrorists.

[PzLdr]

After my tour of duty I could not bring myself to watch any of the post Vietnam era war films. My emotions have always been too close to the surface. I felt a great affection for the South Vietnamese people.

Finally I forced myself to see Full Metal Jacket. Mistake. I wept uncontrollably at the atrocities committed against Vietnamese villagers and vowed never to watch another film about the Vietnam war, though I did eventually see parts of Apocalypse. Now.

I probably will see American sniper. But, not having been deployed in Iraq makes a big difference emotionally speaking. It was not my war. I think I would quietly rejoice in the death of terrorists.

I liked "Hamburger Hill" One of the highlights was Steven Weber's character's "Don't Mean Nothin'" soliloquey after he gets back from stateside.

[Bigun]

After my tour of duty I could not bring myself to watch any of the post Vietnam era war films. My emotions have always been too close to the surface. I felt a great affection for the South Vietnamese people.

Finally I forced myself to see Full Metal Jacket. Mistake. I wept uncontrollably at the atrocities committed against Vietnamese villagers and vowed never to watch another film about the Vietnam war, though I did eventually see parts of Apocalypse. Now.

I probably will see American sniper. But, not having been deployed in Iraq makes a big difference emotionally speaking. It was not my war. I think I would quietly rejoice in the death of terrorists.

I couldn't watch them because they were mostly junk bearing no relation to reality at all.

American Sniper is anything but that!

[jmyrlefuller]

I did expect a bit of the old "USA, USA!" vibe and was pleasantly surprised at it's lack. While it is a patriotic movie, it doesn't make that a fetish - it's just a story about a man and his family in trying circumstances. Call it human exceptionalism, rather than American exceptionalism if you like. 

That sounds like it's pretty firmly in line with your typical Eastwood film.