American Sniper
The most lethal sniper in U.S. history.
American Sniper (2014)
Budget
$58 800 000
Revenue
$542 300 000
Director
Scenario
Producer
Actors
Bradley Cooper
Chris Kyle
Sienna Miller
Taya Renae Kyle
Kyle Gallner
Goat-Winston
Cole Konis
Young Chris Kyle
Ben Reed
Wayne Kyle
Elise Robertson
Debbie Kyle
Keir O'Donnell
Jeff Kyle
Luke Sunshine
Young Jeff Kyle
Short description
American Sniper tells the story of Chris Kyle, a Texas rancher who joins the U.S. Navy SEALs and becomes a sniper sent to Iraq with one aim: to protect the troops fighting alongside him. His marksmanship saves many lives, and word of his exploits spreads until he is known by the nickname "Legend." That same reputation makes him a target behind enemy lines, where a bounty is placed on him. The film also follows the other battle he fights, the strain on his marriage to Taya and on his role as a father while he is deployed, and his difficulty adjusting to ordinary life once he comes home.
Clint Eastwood directed the film, the thirty-third of the forty he has directed in chronological order, following J. Edgar and preceding Jersey Boys. Jason Hall wrote the screenplay, and Eastwood produced with Robert Lorenz and Andrew Lazar. Bradley Cooper plays Kyle, with Sienna Miller as Taya and Kyle Gallner, Cole Konis, Ben Reed and Elise Robertson among a credited cast of eighty-three.
Released in December 2014, the film cost about 59 million dollars to make and took roughly 548 million dollars worldwide. It holds a 7.3 rating on IMDb from around 567,000 votes and a 7.4 on TMDB from nearly 14,000 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 6.9 from 299 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- In the scene where the helicopter fires a missile at insurgents, purely by chance, the missile does not hit the building where the “Navy SEALs” were located. According to Chris Kyle's autobiography, the helicopter pilot did not know that there were “Navy SEALs” in the building. Moreover, he thought that insurgents were positioned on the roof of the building. Kyle noticed that the helicopter was about to open fire and ordered his unit to deploy identification signs. The pilot noticed them at the last second and did not fire. If Kyle hadn't noticed the helicopter was about to open fire, his entire unit would most likely have perished.
- In the scene where the Iraqi woman throws an RPG grenade, this type of grenade should release a stabilizer (paper cone) in flight, which is ejected by one of the grenade’s safety mechanisms. Therefore, if the cone is not released, the grenade will not detonate.
- At the peak of his form, Bradley Cooper could deadlift 193 kilograms, which is twice his body weight. And with that weight, he could do 5 sets of 10 repetitions each. Cooper said that during the filming of the training scene where he lifts the barbell, he was actually lifting 193 kilograms, despite the crew offering him to use fake barbell plates with less weight.
- When Kyle is observing a woman and a child through the scope, the camera shows his own eye through the other end of the scope. In this moment, his eye appears magnified, when in reality it should appear smaller than it actually is.
- To gain over 18 kilograms of muscle mass, Bradley Cooper ate 8,000 calories a day. Together with his personal trainer, he worked out for four hours every day for several months. In addition, Cooper had vocal lessons twice a day and spent a lot of time watching video materials about Chris Kyle. When it came to rifle shooting, the actor trained with a Navy SEAL sniper, Kevin Latch, who served with Kyle.
- When Jason Hall attended Chris Kyle's funeral, he received numerous threats from soldiers who were friends of Chris. One of them even threatened to kill him if the film's script turned out to be bad. Later, after watching the film, he approved of it.
- When it was first announced in 2012 that Jason Hall would be writing the screenplay for a film based on Chris Kyle's memoirs, Kevin Lach's wife, Lindsey, contacted him via Facebook and asked him not to ruin the story. To her surprise, Hall responded to her almost immediately, after which he asked her to help him with the technical aspects of the script. Kevin Lach agreed to advise him. Moreover, a month before his death, Chris Kyle himself offered his assistance to the filmmakers.
- In the scene where explosions from artillery shells are visible in the distance, the sound of the explosions is heard at the same moment as the flash appears. In reality, at such a distance, the sound of an explosion would be heard with a delay of several seconds.
- In the rooftop scene, as the soldiers pass by laundry hanging out to dry, creases can be seen on the laundry, as if it had been folded dry and then unfolded.
- While preparing for her role, Sienna Miller first contacted Taya Kyle via email, after which they communicated via Skype for several months. Miller also met with Taya Kyle in person in Los Angeles to adopt her mannerisms and speech.
- Chris Kyle's primary weapon is the McMillan TAC-338 with .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges.
- In the film, when Kyle goes to Iraq for the second time (2004), he is referred to as a First Sergeant. He only received this rank five years later.
- When Kyle teases his friend about reading comics, the comic in question is “The Punisher.” It is also the source of the skull emblem that the Navy SEALs later applied to their body armor and vehicles.
- The film is based on the memoirs of Chris Kyle, who served as a sniper in Charlie Platoon, 3rd SEAL Team in Iraq. Chris became the most successful sniper – he had the highest number of confirmed enemy kills (160 confirmed out of 255 claimed). For this, the Iraqis gave him the nickname “The Devil of Ramadi”.
- According to Jason Hall, two children were supposed to play Chris and Taya Kyle's child, but they ended up having to use a doll when one of the children got sick and the other wasn't brought to the set.
- Preparing for his role, Bradley Cooper trained to the same music that Chris Kyle himself trained to. He also hung a picture of Chris Kyle on the wall of the gym to constantly see the goal he was working towards.
- Bradley Cooper spoke with Chris Kyle only once over the phone, just a couple of weeks before Kyle's tragic death. According to Cooper, they spoke for only two minutes.
- In real life, Chris Kyle's shot from a distance of 1920 meters was fired at an armed militant with a grenade launcher.
- At the beginning of the film, when Chris is at home with his wife, you can notice that the tattoo located on the upper part of his left arm appears on his right arm after a cut.
- After feeding the baby, Taya buttons up her cardigan. Then the camera switches to Chris holding the baby. And when the camera returns to Taya, her cardigan is unbuttoned again.
- In 2013, the film's script appeared on the Black List of unproduced screenplays.
- David O. Russell was considered as the film's director, but a deal with Warner Brothers didn't materialize. Steven Spielberg then expressed interest in the project, but ultimately Clint Eastwood took the director's chair.
- In the bar scene where Kyle first meets his future wife, a bottle of Fireball Cinnamon whiskey is clearly visible behind the bar. The events in this scene take place in 2000/2001, but Fireball whiskey under that brand was not sold until 2006.
- In scenes where Mustafa is cleaning his weapon, a Dragunov rifle is shown, but in combat Mustafa uses a Romanian PSL-54C rifle.
- Marc Lee was killed in Ramadi in 2006, not in Sadr City as depicted in the film.
- After Kyle kills the militant with the RPG in Sadr City, the position of the grenade launcher changes with the cut.
- In the scene where the soldiers are approached by a blue car, it is clearly visible that the driver has a hand through prayer beads, but they are no longer present after he is killed.
- When the camera shows a view through the rifle scope as the shooter tracks a target, the rifle should also move, but it remains stationary throughout.
- When Chris Kyle meets the soldier he saved, the camera shows Chris holding his son by the shoulders. At this moment, a watch can be noticed on his wrist. However, the watch then disappears and reappears with each cut.
- When snipers are sent on a mission to provide cover for marines during patrol, the first 'marine' to exit the vehicle wears the insignia of the 1st US Cavalry Division on his left shoulder, not that of the Marine Corps.
- During Kyle's first mission, when he's observing a mother and a young boy with a grenade, the camera shows an M1A2 tank from a top and front view, but from the side view it's a different tank without a ballistic skirt.
- During a nighttime mission, Kyle and the marines enter a house where they are invited to stay for dinner. However, the kitchen light was on, and there was a large window uncovered by curtains, making them easy targets for snipers. The curtains should have been closed before they entered the kitchen.
- Chris Kyle was 25 years old when he joined the Navy and went to BUD/S training, not 30 as depicted in the film.
- Initially, Bradley Cooper was only going to act as a producer of this film, and Chris Pratt was supposed to play the main role, but he eventually changed his mind.
- Jamie Alexander, Kate Mara, and Evangeline Lilly were considered for the role of Taya Kyle, but Sienna Miller ultimately got the part.
- In the film, Bradley Cooper wears Chris Kyle's actual boots and was even allowed to keep them after filming was completed.
- The real Chris Kyle once said that if a film was ever made about him, it should be directed by Clint Eastwood and no one else.
- Before starting work on the film “American Sniper” (2014), Bradley Cooper filmed with John Krasinski in “Aloha” (2015), where Krasinski played the role of a buff guy. Cooper was so impressed with Krasinski’s physical form that he ultimately decided to train with his trainer, Jason Walsh, to prepare for the role of Chris Kyle.
- During the Iraq War, but after 2003, the US Armed Forces used the Bradley Fighting Vehicle instead of the M113 armored personnel carriers shown during the battle in Sadr City.
- The maximum effective range of the real Chris Kyle was 1920 meters. Bradley Cooper’s maximum range was 600 meters.
- In real life, Chris Kyle and his comrades were big fans of the G.I. Joe team. They even named their cars after two of its characters – “Duke” and “Cobra Commander.” Sienna Miller, who played Chris Kyle's wife, previously played the Baroness in the film about this team – “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” (2009).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
