American Sniper | ★★★★★★★★★☆

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I cried as the movie ended. I deeply resonated with this American hero. My son spent 28 months on the front lines in Iraq. This movie told a story of what serving in the Iraq War looked like. It is a hard movie because the viewer is confronted with how much our soldiers sacrifice and how little we think about them.

I think that Bradley Cooper did a wonderful job playing Chris Kyle, a decorated Navy SEAL who was known among his SEAL brethren as The Legend and to his enemies as al-Shaitan, “the devil.” Here is Kyle's perspective in his own words.

"It was my duty to shoot the enemy, and I don't regret it. My regrets are for the people I couldn't save: Marines, soldiers, buddies. I'm not naive, and I don't romanticize war. The worst moments of my life have come as a SEAL. But I can stand before God with a clear conscience about doing my job."

The movie was a bit long but worth the viewing. It helped me to engage a bit with the struggles of our soldiers while at the same time it presented an unflattering image of war. On a scale of ten, I give it ★★★★★★★★★☆.

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