As well as the film picking up an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, Bradley Cooper also finds himself up for an award for his portrayal of Chris Kyle. This is largely down to the inner turmoil that rages throughout the protagonist from start to finish and how Cooper highlights the tremendous psychological effect war is having on him. The real Chris Kyle certainly wasn't, on the surface at least, as remotely traumatised by his role in the conflict as you see in the movie though. In his book, Kyle actually uses the words I love war and even goes on to explain that he saw his killings as fun. It's hard to believe that someone is making sacrifices for his country when, by his own admission, he's actually enjoying them. Most troubling of all though, and most directly in conflict with Cooper's portrayal of his personal strife, is that Kyle claimed that he "couldnt give a flying f**k about the Iraqis. When questioned by an army investigator over the death of a civilian, Kyle responded "I dont shoot people with Korans", before going on to add "Id like to, but I dont".
WhatCulture's Managing Editor and Chief Reporter | Previously seen in Vice, Esquire, FourFourTwo, Sabotage Times, Loaded, The Set Pieces, and Mundial Magazine
