Strap in partner, because it’s time for Schlock and Awe, a podcast exploring the black sites of the cinematic War on Terror in the quest to find our generation’s defining war movie. We’re Evan Hill and Jack Crosbie, two journalists who came of age in the post-September 11 era and and have spent much of our careers reporting on its effects.
In episode one, we’re tackling arguably the biggest totem of the Hollywood GWOT: American Sniper, Clint Eastwood’s 2014 mythology of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL and one of the deadliest snipers in American military history. Eastwood’s heavily embellished cowboys and Indians portrayal of Kyle’s tours in Iraq draws on its subjects own truth-bending memoir, many of whose claims have since been proven false.
American Sniper may be the biggest blockbuster of War on Terror films, but what kind of story did it tell its massive audience? We discuss its problematic portrayal of Iraqis, the many lies and omissions of its story about the Iraq War, and whether the film is properly viewed as a Western.
Subscribe and stay tuned for episode two!
American Sniper (12/22/22)