American Sniper, a movie released January 16th, is based on the true story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, played by Bradley Cooper. The movie recounts his life – starting with his childhood obsession with horses, rodeos, cowboys and being born and raised in Odessa, Texas. Although this is endearing and creates a strong setting and mood, most of the story focuses on his participation, dedication, training and active duty in the Navy SEALS.

After serving four tours in Iraq with 160 confirmed kills as a lethal sniper, he decided that it was time to stay home and take care of his son, daughter, and wife, Taya. He also decided it would be a good idea to not go into another war, but to go to the Veterans Hospital to visit and speak with disabled or injured veterans instead. Later, this took an unexpected tragic turn.

Director Clint Eastwood fluently organized the scenes of the movie to perfection and does the book justice by portraying Kyle’s life the way he wrote it in his memoir.

Although impactful, the movie can be repetitive when he goes back to Iraq three more times after his first experience. Kyle’s routine of wanting to go back to Iraq leaves viewers expecting he will never return home, after his conflicting discussions about wanting to defend his country more than his family.

Taya’s deep concern and anxiousness for her husband is reflected through several scenes, making Sienna Miller’s performance stellar, as she is always wanting to talk to him or see how he’s doing while in Iraq.

It was as if Cooper studied the ways of Chris Kyle, due to the precise movements of aiming a weapon to the way he tenderly cared for his family while at home for a short amount of time.

This movie, or book, is for anyone who has dedication for what they believe in, because that is what this book is all about. It’s not just all about how many kills Chris Kyle gets. This story reflects how to fight for what you believe in, but it also reflects that you have your family to think about too, and that they are the ones who have your back the most in hard times such as these.

I would not recommend this movie and book if you are not interested in lengthy descriptions of war, or advanced concepts of violence. For other audiences, I would definitely recommend this movie because of how it reflects the book in a detailed fashion, as movies usually don’t include small details that are crucial to the plot.