American Sniper: 9 Things The Film Lied About

9. He Didn't Quit Bull Riding Because A Girl Broke His Heart

In the film's opening 30 minutes, Eastwood opts to whisk the audience away from the opening rooftop scene where Kyle is staring down his sights at a woman and a small boy, and tries to show instead how he ended up there. At the heart of this apparently is the break up with his girlfriend, which leads to him quitting the burgeoning bull riding career he loved so much. There's some element of truth in that Chris Kyle was, for a while at least, quite a good bull rider and his book does include numerous accounts of the trips he took in pursuit of the sport. Growing up on a farm with upwards of 100 cattle, he and his brother began to rodeo in their teens, but neither considered it as anything more than a hobby. However his decision to dismount had nothing to do with an ex-girlfriend or heartbreak, and came as the result of Kyle being thrown off a bronco and being dragged under. When he awoke some hours later with a sore head, a shattered wrist and numerous other injuries he decided to end his time in the saddle to pursue other avenues.