15 Most Controversial Films Of The Decade (So Far)

2. American Sniper

What's It About? Clint Eastwood again goes behind the camera to shoot a film about a real life American, but this time rather than the biopical sweep of J. Edgar he opts for a tighter focus on his central character. American Sniper hones in on Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL sharpshooter who counted over 250 kills whilst serving in Iraq. Why Was It Controversial? Many took exception to Eastwood - and star Bradley Cooper's - reinvention of Chris Kyle as a man ridden by conflict on account of his killings, when the real life Kyle was much closer to a psychopath, his book filled with racist outbursts and a complete lack of remorse for the men, women and children he shot. Jingoism aside Eastwood certainly seemed to deliver what American audiences were looking for, and American Sniper took in nearly ten times its $50 million production budget at the box office.