American Sniper Character Analysis

In the movie American Sniper by Clint Eastwood we find ourselves in thrown into the heated and bloody War on Terror with a special group of men known as United States Navy Seals. The main characters of this incredible movie include Chris Kyle who becomes the most lethal sniper in American history played by Bradley Cooper, Taya who is Chris’s wife portrayed by Sienna Miller, Marc Lee who is a teammate and fellow operator on SEAL team 3 played by Luke Grimes and finally Biggle’s another operator on SEAL team 3 played by Jake McDorman.
The movie starts at the very beginning of Chris Kyle’s childhood in the great desert land of Texas where he was taught by his father on how to shoot a variety of weapons and hunt the local wildlife. During

this time the audience is also able to see the inner workings of Chris’s family and the values his mother and father taught him about life, his fellow peers, which started to become the foundation that Chris would start building his life upon. The movie continues as Chris moves into his early adulthood where he had taken up becoming a professional bronco rodeo rider and ranch hand. This is immediately interrupted when he hears the news of the 1998 U.S embassy bombings, this causes him to rethink the direct his life is going and eventually starts him down a path that leads him to a military recruit office. During his conversation with a Navy recruiter he is told about a special group in the U.S special operation command known as the Navy SEAL’s, which are the tip of the spear in regards to the militaries strike force. He soon finds himself at the Navy’s training ground for SEAL’s known as BUDS.
It is essential that BUDS be expounded upon as anyone who has ever passed what is known as the world’s hardest military training has many common foundation features that are unique. These features are what make SEALs stand out and what also makes the brotherhood a life long commitment. The movie then takes focus on the next stage in Chris’s life, which is when he becomes a full member of the Navy SEAL’s and more importantly the bar where he meets Taya. The two fall madly in love and are soon married right before Chris is sent to Iraq in the wake of the September 11th attacks. During his first deployment overseas Chris is confronted with a situation where he had to kill both a women and a young boy who were trying to use an explosive devise against a squad of Marines on the ground. The movie showed how this situation influenced Chris in a very personal and emotional manner that connected the audience to the film. This section of the film also introduces an incredibly deadly enemy sniper by the name of Mustafa. Chris and his team are assigned to hunt down the Mustafa but come up empty handed as the return home from Team 3’s first deployment.
During Chris’s return home Taya and him become more disconnected as he deals with occasional flashbacks of the fighting.

Although the birth of his son is a welcome relief Chris continues to head out on his 2nd and 3rd deployments where he continues to try and kill Mustafa and the Butcher (Mustafa’s boss). The constant string of missions starts to lead one of Chris Kyle’s fellow SEAL operators by the name of Marc Lee astray. Chris can see Marc’s attitude change and has a small conversation where he explains that the reason they’re in this warzone is to take down evil people and protect their homeland. During a routine operation Chris and a teammate known by his code-name Biggles are clearing a rooftop as both men converse about Biggles recent purchase of an engagement ring when he is shot in the face by the enemy sniper Mustafa. Biggles is rushed off the battlefield and into surgery where the rest of SEAL team 3 decide what their next move will be. The whole team agrees that they must go back out and kill the person responsible for the shooting of Biggles, which leads to Marc Lee being shot through the mouth and presumed dead. During Chris’s final deployment overseas he and his team of fellow SEAL’s are finally able to locate the deadly sniper Mustafa in a hostile part of the city. The military inserts a small recon team which Chris is part of to observe and eliminate any enemy activity, during their observation Chris notices a shimmer of light coming from what appears to be a rifle scope. He relays the information to the rest of the team and finally shoots Mustafa, killing him instantly. Kyle returns home where Taya notices that the man who left for overseas is not the same one who had returned. Her suspicions come to forishion when Chris almost strangles a dog until she yells out in horror. The movie comes to a conclusion when Chris goes to the Doctors and describes how he has been dealing with PTSD and yet nothing is helping. The doctor continues to listen and

eventually asks what terrifies Chris, and the immediate answer is all of the men Chris wasn’t able to save. The doctor suggests that his solution could be to help all the wounded veterans to which Chris gladly agrees. The final scene of the film is Chris walking out the door with a veteran suffering from PTSD, he tells his wife they’re going to the shooting range and will be back later in the evening. The credits reveal that the young veteran killed Chris Kyle.