Bill Maher psychopath patriot
On Friday’s episode of ‘Real Time with Bill Maher,” the host criticized the hit Oscar-nominated film, which tells the real-life story of late U.S. soldier Chris Kyle (played by Bradley Cooper), because he wanted the film to portray Kyle with greater complexity.
He said he found the film to be too unsubtle, especially when compared to another war film, 2008 Oscar best picture winner “The Hurt Locker.”
“‘Hurt Locker’ only made $17 million because it was a little ambiguous and thoughtful,” the TV host said. “And ('American Sniper') is just, ‘American hero, he’s a psychopath patriot, and we love him.'”Maher also read quotes from Kyle’s memoir, which the Clint Eastwood-directed film is based on.
"I hate the damn savages and I've been fighting and I always will,” Maher quoted from the book.
"If you're a Christian — I know this is a Christian country — (to say) 'I hate the damn savages' ... doesn't seem like a Christian thing to say."The idea that Americans cannot see any ambiguity, that somebody has to be pure hero or pure traitor, is ridiculous,” he added.
The war film, which has grossed more than $150 million to date, has been polarizing audiences since its release earlier this month.
Michael Moore criticized the film in a tweet describing snipers as "cowards,” which drew the ire of fans of the film, including Sarah Palin. Seth Rogen also found himself under fire when he compared “American Sniper” to a propaganda film, with Alec Baldwin defending Rogen from the backlash.