Filmmaker Robert Greenwald: American Sniper is a 'Neocon Fantasy' in Which 'There's No Good Iraqi Except a Dead Iraqi'
Filmmaker Robert Greenwald squared off against former Congressman and Iraq War veteran Patrick Murphy over the film American Sniper, the blockbuster Hollywood film about late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Greenwald implicated the film for its "strong political agenda," and said it painted a world in which "there's no good Iraqi except a dead Iraqi" -- including "dead Iraqi children."
Murphy rejected the idea that the film is "a political movie," and even said he "got choked up a couple times" watching it. "[P]eople out there who are trying to make this a controversy are conflating the issues," he suggested.
Greenwald countered by asking the ex-Congressman to "name one Iraqi who is portrayed with any kind of humanity."Â
He went on to suggest the film would inspire Americans to believe "we gotta go to war" to be safe, a notion he dismissed as "nonsense" and even dangerous.
Said Greenwald: "What this movie will achieve will be more Americans believing and cheering for more wars. And then more veterans being injured. More veterans losing arms and legs and families destroyed. That's the tragedy and the concern about this film."
American Sniper, which stars Bradley Cooper, brought in an astounding $90.2 million dollars its opening weekend.Â
