FILM · 2014 · USA
American Sniper
- Directed by
- Clint Eastwood
- Runtime
- 133 min
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac Entertainment
199 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle takes his sole mission—protect his comrades—to heart and becomes one of the most lethal snipers in American history. His pinpoint accuracy not only saves countless lives but also makes him a prime target of insurgents. Despite grave danger and his struggle to be a good husband and father to his family back in the States, Kyle serves four tours of duty in Iraq. However, when he finally…
199 Interesting Facts About American Sniper
Interesting Facts (84)
- #001
Bradley Cooper consumed about 6,000 calories a day to gain more than 40 kilos, which amounted to eating every 55 minutes. Cooper added that consuming those calories was not enjoyable because his meals were usually light protein shakes that he had to choke down between weight-lifting sessions. He worked out four hours a day for several months using his own trainer. Cooper also took twice-daily lessons from a vocal coach and studied footage of Chris Kyle for hours. When it came to aiming a rifle, Cooper trained with Navy SEAL Kevin Lacz, who had served with Kyle and was a consultant on the film.
- #002
Contains a major spoiler — show
The script initially included a reenactment of Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield being shot by Eddie Ray Routh on that fateful day. It was to appear at the end of the film, just before the funeral, but was vetoed by Kyle's widow, Taya Kyle, because it was too painful for her and too horrifying to show her children; instead the film ends with Kyle's funeral.
- #003
At his peak, Bradley Cooper could lift 425 pounds, twice his body weight, in five sets of ten repetitions each. Cooper said that in a training scene in the film he performed a 425-pound deadlift even though the producers suggested using artificial weights for the scene.
- #004
The real Chris Kyle once said that if there were a filmmaker who would make a movie about him, it would be Clint Eastwood and no one else.
- #005
In the scene of Kyle's last deployment, a Cobra attack helicopter fires a missile at insurgents about to overrun the building where the SEALs are positioned and accidentally misses. According to Kyle's autobiography, the helicopter pilot never knew the SEALs were on the roof of that building and was lining up to fire at what he thought were insurgents on the roof. Kyle sees that the helicopter is about to fire on his own position and calls out to his unit to put out their panels. The panels are the reflective parts of the fabric that warn other friendly forces of their position. The pilot sees this at the last second and, because of Kyle's actions, pulls back instead of firing. If he had not seen the helicopter about to attack, Kyle's unit would have been killed.
- #006
Contains a major spoiler — show
The real Chris Kyle was killed on February 2, 2013, at a shooting range while trying to help a veteran reported to have psychiatric problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- #007
Kevin Lacz was also a U.S. Navy SEAL. He served alongside Kyle, during which time he was given the nickname "Dauber." He initially served as a consultant on this film before Bradley Cooper offered him the chance to play himself in the film, and he accepted.
- #008
Bradley Cooper stated that Clint Eastwood's directing method was extremely hands-on and that Eastwood was often beside him while shooting the sniper scenes.
- #009
Bradley Cooper had spoken with Chris Kyle only once, by phone just a few weeks before Kyle's tragic death. According to Cooper, it was a two-minute conversation. Since Kyle's death, Cooper devoted eight months to bringing Chris to life and honoring the Kyle family. Cooper did such a great job that the Navy SEALs who knew Kyle and trained Cooper said they felt Chris's presence when Bradley was around.
- #010
Chris Kyle met Marcus Luttrell, the subject of the film Lone Survivor (2013), during their BUD/S (SEAL training). They became close friends but graduated in different classes. They stayed in frequent contact and remained friends for the rest of Kyle's life.
- #011
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the final title sequence, when the real Chris Kyle's funeral is shown, his coffin is covered with numerous SEAL Tridents (nicknamed "The Budweiser"). This is a SEAL tradition of hammering one's own badge onto the coffin of a fallen comrade. At a "normal" SEAL funeral there would be about a dozen on the coffin (usually close members of the team). Kyle's coffin had more than 100.
- #012
Bradley Cooper recalled that when he first met Chris Kyle's father he was very emotional, and he found it surreal to sit at the same dinner table where Kyle had eaten just a few months earlier. Cooper claimed that during their conversations he promised Kyle's father that, even though he did not look or sound like his son at the time, he would get as close to him as possible once filming began.
- #013
Bradley Cooper wore the real Chris Kyle's walking shoes in this film and was given them to keep after production ended. In interviews about the film's release, Cooper claimed he still wore the shoes for personal use.
- #014
Bradley Cooper said he did not want to get "cut" or "ripped" in order to portray Chris Kyle accurately, because that was not who Kyle was. He wanted to get big to play Kyle, and his workouts were designed to give him great size, not to define his muscles. He said his physique was built solely by heavy Olympic weightlifting, not bodybuilding. Cooper went from 185 pounds to 225 pounds to look as massive as Chris Kyle for this role, and he actually showed his courage for the film.
- #015
In his autobiography, Chris Kyle stated that he never had a confrontation with a sniper named "Mustafa" and believed he was killed elsewhere.
- #016
Contains a major spoiler — show
Despite the depictions in this film, Chris Kyle never shot a child. In his autobiography, Chris Kyle at one point has a child in his scope. That moment is also depicted in this film. The fighters had sent the child down the street to pick up an R.P.G. "I had a clear view in my scope," Kyle wrote, "but I didn't take the shot. I wasn't going to kill a kid, innocent or not. I'd have to wait until the savage who put him up to it showed himself in the street."
- #017
Bradley Cooper thought he could be Chris Kyle because he and Kyle had almost the same height, age, shoe size and build. When Cooper built up his body and grew his beard, Chris Kyle's friends and family said they would do a double take when looking at Cooper because of how much he resembled Kyle.
- #018
At Chris Kyle's funeral, country musician Randy Travis performed "Amazing Grace." Earlier drafts of the screenplay also included the performance at the funeral, but in the final film it was replaced by Ennio Morricone's "The Funeral."
- #019
Contains a major spoiler — show
At Eddie Ray Routh's murder trial, it emerged that Chris Kyle was shot six times in the back with a.45-caliber handgun, causing fatal wounds to his aorta and spine. Kyle's friend Chad Littlefield, who had accompanied Kyle and Routh to the shooting range, was also shot several times in the back and head. During the attack, both men were found with their own weapons still holstered. Routh, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence, suffered from hallucinations and paranoia but refused all treatment and medication. He claimed he sat in the back of the truck on the way to the shooting range and shot the two men because they were not talking to him. The weapon Routh used to kill Littlefield was Kyle's own 9 mm Sig Sauer pistol. After the murders, Routh fled the scene in Kyle's pickup truck. Tragically, on the way to the range Kyle had texted Littlefield "this dude is straight up nuts," and Littlefield had texted back "watch my six."
- #020
This film was released a month before Eddie Ray Routh's trial for the murder of Chris Kyle. Routh pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. On February 24, 2015, in Stephenville, Texas, Routh was found guilty of capital murder (the jury rejected his insanity defense) and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors chose not to seek the death penalty.
- #021
Apart from a two-week shoot in Morocco for the Iraq exterior scenes, this film was shot entirely in California.
- #022
Contains a major spoiler — show
When Kyle attends Marc Lee's funeral, he is shown striking his trident into the coffin. In his memoir, Chris Kyle stated that he could not attend Marc's funeral and could not pay his respects until he attended Biggles's funeral.
- #023
During the period he was set to direct this film, Steven Spielberg contributed many ideas to help the storytelling, most notably the addition of a rival enemy sniper. Because of these changes, the screenplay reached nearly one hundred and sixty pages, at which point Spielberg felt he could no longer bring his vision for the film to the screen. He left on August 5, 2013, and less than three weeks later, on August 21, Clint Eastwood was announced as director.
- #024
Chris's widow, the real Taya Kyle, does not believe that Navy SEAL Eddie Ray Routh, who killed Chris Kyle, did so because of post-traumatic stress disorder. She believes that is what "others want to believe." She rejects the claim entirely.
- #025
Chris Kyle was 25 years old when he joined the Navy and entered BUD/S training. He was not thirty years old as depicted in this film.
- #026
Before starting work on this film, Bradley Cooper had worked with John Krasinski on Aloha (2015), in which Krasinski had to play a passionate military man. Cooper was so impressed by Krasinski's physique that he hired his trainer, Jason Walsh, to train him for this film.
- #027
At the beginning of this film, Chris's father tells him never to drop his weapon. Chris later drops his weapon while running for cover from enemy fire on his final tour.
- #028
Taya Kyle initially thought Sandra Bullock should play her, because she felt Bullock connected closely with her and thought Sienna Miller was probably too English. However, after meeting Miller and bonding over motherhood, she became certain of her own choice.
- #029
This is one of the few films in which the final title sequence continues silently after the funeral montage, with no notes or song.
- #030
Between takes, Bradley Cooper often talked with Clint Eastwood about filmmaking. Cooper stated that he aimed to become a director and that Eastwood, who moved from acting to directing, was an inspiration to him. He made his directorial debut with the Academy Award-winning A Star Is Born (2018), which he also co-wrote and produced.
- #031
According to Jason Hall, two babies were supposed to play Chris and Taya Kyle's child. When one of the babies fell ill and the other did not show up, a doll was used.
- #032
To prepare for her role, Sienna Miller first wrote an email to the real Taya Kyle, and over the following months the two communicated via Skype. She also spent time with Taya in Los Angeles and talked about family as a way of getting to know her speech and mannerisms. According to Sienna, the hardest part was knowing how Taya would start a conversation with her late husband or with anyone else.
- #033
When screenwriter Jason Hall attended Chris Kyle's funeral, he received numerous threats from soldiers who had been friends with Kyle. One soldier even told him, "If you fuck this up, I'll kill you." The soldier later approved after seeing the film.
- #034
Bradley Cooper wanted to do justice to Chris Kyle's size, believing that he could not portray him accurately if he did not resemble him. He said that after every take he would go and ask the crew, "Did I look big enough?"
- #035
Bradley Cooper admitted that he thought it was silly to use an unconvincing plastic doll for Kyle's small child in a serious, emotional scene. While moving the doll's arm with his thumb, Cooper delivered a line in Texas: "I'm saving y'all one hundred thousand dollars."
- #036
The film broke the January record with a first-weekend opening of 105 million dollars.
- #037
Bradley Cooper stated that the Iraq scenes were shot in Morocco over two weeks of six days each. Producer and director Clint Eastwood wanted to finish filming in that region before the weather grew too hot.
- #038
It was the first Clint Eastwood film to gross more than 300 million dollars in the United States.
- #039
The difference between the book and the film is that during Chris Kyle's first deployment he had not completed sniper training and was qualified only in naval training.
- #040
When it was announced in 2012 that Jason Hall would adapt Chris Kyle's memoir, Kevin Lacz's wife Lindsey contacted him through a Facebook message asking him not to ruin the story. She was surprised that Hall responded immediately afterward and asked for help with the technical aspects of the screenplay. Lacz then offered his help right away, and both men took notes and corresponded, later becoming good friends. In the months before his death, Kyle also got involved and offered his help.
- #041
Although the screenplay is credited in the titles as adapted from Kyle's book of the same name, screenwriter Jason Hall states that he began his research and met Chris Kyle before the book was completed and published, and that after Kyle's death he continued interviewing Kyle's widow for further details. Hall concluded about the book: "I absolutely knew there was much more to this man than was on those pages. What happened when he came home and what going to war cost him wasn't really told. I wanted to look at that more deeply."
- #042
After his first kill, Chris Kyle returns and sees another member of his team reading a comic book. The comic book features the character The Punisher, who carries a skull on his chest. That skull later appeared in the decoration of the uniforms and vehicles of Kyle's team.
- #043
The real-life Chris Kyle was interviewed by Conan O'Brien a year before his death, on January 31, 2012.
- #044
When Steven Spielberg decided not to direct this film, he immediately contacted Clint Eastwood, with whom he had a good relationship, and correctly thought that Eastwood would be interested in filming Chris Kyle's story. Spielberg's only specific note to Eastwood about this film concerned the character Mustafa: Steven was happy with the changes or edits Clint planned for the shooting script, but he felt Mustafa was important enough that he wanted to emphasize it to the new director.
- #045
Except for the final footage of the funeral, Chris Kyle appears in every scene of this film.
- #046
Bradley Cooper stated that for the scene at the end of this film in which he flirts with Chris Taya, Clint Eastwood suggested the line "Drop those drawers, drop them nice and easy."
- #047
The real Chris Kyle was known for shooting at a distance of two thousand one hundred meters (one thousand nine hundred and twenty meters), while Bradley Cooper could only hit a target at a distance of six hundred and fifty-six yards (six hundred meters).
- #048
The man named "Biggles" lived long enough to marry his girlfriend and lead a satisfying life despite being blinded in both eyes from his injuries. He died while undergoing surgery. In the book, Chris Kyle takes him to a bar, where he allegedly overhears Jesse Ventura. Biggles asks Kyle to introduce him to Ventura, but Ventura refuses. A while later Ventura speaks loudly against the war and against President George W. Bush. Kyle politely asks him to stop. After Ventura continues, Kyle punches him. Kyle never named Ventura, only made a statement, and the passage was omitted from later editions of the audiobook. In later interviews Kyle admitted it was Ventura. Ventura maintains that he would never say that and that no such thing happened. Ventura later sued Kyle and, after Kyle's death from the defamation claim, his estate. He won, but on the second hearing the large penalty awarded because Ventura had profited from his name was removed, though a five hundred thousand dollar penalty was upheld as compensation, resulting in a settlement for an undisclosed amount.
- #049
The music that plays during the montage of Chris Kyle's funeral is "The Funeral," written by Ennio Morricone and originally composed for the spaghetti western The Return of Ringo (1965). Clint Eastwood composed the film's limited original score and received no on-screen credit for it. Morricone is a friend of Clint's and composed the music for several spaghetti westerns in which Eastwood also appeared.
- #050
The screenplay for this film appeared on the 2013 Black List, the list of the year's "most liked" unproduced screenplays.
- #051
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the film, Chris Kyle is depicted shooting first the child with a grenade and then the mother when she picks it up to throw it. In the real incident, she was the only person shot as she attempted to attack U.S. forces.
- #052
David O. Russell at one point considered directing this film, but a deal with Warner Brothers did not work out. Steven Spielberg later showed interest but also moved on.
- #053
Bradley Cooper briefly considered directing this film but decided he was not ready.
- #054
Contains a major spoiler — show
For the scene in which Chris Kyle nervously nudges an Iraqi boy holding an RPG launcher and agonizes over whether to fire, Bradley Cooper claimed that Clint Eastwood stood outside the frame and told Cooper what he was thinking at every tense moment of the scene.
- #055
In the scene where Chris fires his rifle to kill Mustafa, the bullet used took 2-3 seconds to travel a mile and hit him, depending on the caliber of the round.
- #056
Chris Kyle joined the U.S. Navy in 1999.
- #057
The film's only Oscar, for Best Achievement in Sound Editing, happened to be presented by Sienna Miller, who was a member of the cast.
- #058
The line "Aim small, miss small" was also delivered by Mel Gibson in The Patriot (2000).
- #059
The tank in the opening scene is an M1A1 Abrams.
- #060
Kyle's primary weapon is the formidable McMillan TAC-338A, chambered with.338 caliber Lapua Magnum rounds.
- #061
The blank rounds fired on set were very loud, and the actors were given hearing protection to wear, hiding from the gunfire as much as possible.
- #062
Jaimie Alexander, Kate Mara and Evangeline Lilly were considered to play Taya. Mara chose to make Fantastic Four (2015), and Lilly chose Ant-Man (2015).
- #063
Chris Kyle and Marcus Luttrell, both Navy SEAL comrades, trained under Brandon Webb. All three are authors, and each has published more than one book.
- #064
It was the highest-grossing dramatic film of the year in the United States since Saving Private Ryan (1998).
- #065
Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller reunited just one month after finishing work on this film to begin shooting Burnt (2015).
- #066
The film was produced and distributed by Warner Brothers, the owner of the DC Comics brand. However, the skull that is the signature of The Punisher (a popular Marvel comic book character) can be seen in several scenes.
- #067
It overtook Gran Torino (2008) as Clint Eastwood's highest-grossing film.
- #068
Bradley Cooper spoke in Chris Kyle's accent between takes every day until filming ended, admitting that once he returned to his real voice it was very hard to get it back.
- #069
In real life, Chris Kyle and his SEAL friends were big fans of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1985), naming two of the characters, "Duke" and "Snake Eyes," after their vehicles. Sienna Miller (Taya Kyle) had played the Baroness in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009).
- #070
Chris Kyle's children are played by the real-life brother and sister Madeleine McGraw and Aiden McGraw.
- #071
The Punisher's logo can frequently be seen on parts of the SEALs' equipment, such as a Humvee-mounted gun, and on the back of many SEAL uniforms.
- #072
Bradley Cooper and Keir O'Donnell played brothers in this film. In Wedding Crashers (2005) they played soon-to-be brothers-in-law.
- #073
It was the second R-rated film in history to gross more than 300 million dollars domestically, after The Passion of the Christ (2004).
- #074
Contains a major spoiler — show
Young veteran Mads (Jonathan Groff) is an amputee, but we first see Mads sitting in a chair in the mechanic's office and then walking to meet Chris when he reveals he is an amputee. Groff's portrayal of the character is inconsistent with a veteran who has a prosthetic leg throughout the scene, including when Chris crouches down to tell his son Colton about his father's heroism. A person with a prosthetic leg does not sit where his leg is not straight, walking is like a sprained ankle, and he can never crouch unless it is a high-tech prosthetic leg with moving joints.
- #075
This was the first film Bradley Cooper and Clint Eastwood worked on together. The second was The Mule (2018).
- #076
It held the number one spot in domestic box office revenue for three weeks and was eventually dethroned by The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015).
- #077
The Punisher skull logo appears intermittently throughout the film, beginning with Chris Kyle's first conversation with Ryan "Biggles" Job, who is seen reading a The Punisher comic book. However, the correlation between the Iraq War and The Punisher (2004), which the aforementioned skull logo most closely resembles, may be more meaningful. The Punisher (2004) was released in April, at a time when the US Marine Corps suffered heavy losses during the First Battle of Fallujah.
- #078
When Chris returns to his tent, Biggles is reading a comic book: The Punisher. The character Frank Castle in The Punisher series is a decorated sailor and war hero.
- #079
Chance Kelly (Lt. Col. Jones) also played a Marine lieutenant colonel in Generation Kill (2008).
- #080
Bradley Cooper and Jake McDorman played friends in this film, but they had also appeared together in the Limitless (series).
- #081
It was Billy Miller's (Navy Petty Officer) first feature film.
- #082
Bradley Cooper and Keir O'Donnell appeared in Wedding Crashers (2005).
- #083
Bradley Cooper and Kyle Gallner appeared in Wet Hot American Summer (2001).
- #084
It is the third two-word-titled film beginning with "American" to feature Bradley Cooper. This unofficial naming trilogy consists of this film, American Hustle (2013) and Older Than America (2008). Cooper also appeared in Wet Hot American Summer (2001).
Production Story (95)
- #085
As of 2015, it was not only the highest-grossing war film of all time worldwide but also the highest-grossing war film in the United States (not adjusted for inflation), surpassing Saving Private Ryan (1998). Steven Spielberg, the producer and director of Saving Private Ryan (1998), had previously been set to direct this film.
- #086
With this film's box-office success, Bradley Cooper placed in the top five highest-grossing R-rated films of all time. The other two are The Hangover (2009) and The Hangover Part II (2011).
- #087
Because of Chris Kyle's tragic death so early in production, Bradley Cooper had unrestricted access to Kyle's belongings, which the family had not yet had time to sort through or dispose of. Cooper watched hundreds of hours of raw home-movie footage and examined Kyle's wardrobe while researching the role.
- #088
Because Bradley Cooper needed a timeline and a budget to undergo the physical training required to become Chris Kyle, he had to discuss his plans with director Clint Eastwood. Cooper claims that Eastwood, known for being laid-back and efficient, assured him he looked good enough as he was and that they could start shooting as soon as possible, while Cooper insisted he could not believe he was Kyle unless he got himself into shape. Eastwood accepted the schedule.
- #089
Bradley Cooper consumed about 6,000 calories a day to gain more than 40 kilos, which worked out to eating a meal every 55 minutes. Cooper added that consuming those calories was not fun, since his meals usually took the form of light protein shakes that he had to choke down between weightlifting sessions. Using his own trainer, he worked out four hours a day for several months. Cooper also took lessons from a vocal coach twice a day and studied footage of Chris Kyle for hours. When it came to aiming a rifle, Cooper trained with Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Kevin Lacz, who had served alongside Kyle and served as a consultant on the film.
- #090
The script initially included a reenactment of Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield being shot by Eddie Ray Routh on that fateful day. It was to appear at the end of the film, just before the funeral, but it was vetoed by his widow, Taya Kyle, because it was too painful for her and too horrifying to show their children, and the film ended with Kyle's funeral instead.
- #091
At his peak, Bradley Cooper could lift 425 pounds, twice his body weight, in five sets of ten repetitions each. Cooper said that in a training scene in this film he performed a 425-pound deadlift, even though the producers suggested using artificial weights for the scene.
- #092
Early in the film, Eastwood is seen entering the church where Chris will play his Bible with his back to the camera.
- #093
The real Chris Kyle once said that if there was a filmmaker who would make a film about him, that person would be Clint Eastwood, and no one else.
- #094
In the scene of Kyle's last deployment, a Cobra attack helicopter fires a missile at insurgents about to overrun the building where the SEALs are positioned, and accidentally misses. According to Kyle's autobiography, the helicopter pilot never knew the SEALs were on the roof of that building and was lining up to fire at what he thought were insurgents on the roof. Kyle sees that the helicopter is about to fire on his own position and calls out to his unit to put out their panels. The panels are the reflective parts of the fabric and warn other friendly forces of their positions. The pilot sees this at the last second and, because of Kyle's actions, pulls back instead of firing. If he had not seen that the helicopter was about to attack, Kyle's unit would have been killed.
- #095
Kevin Lacz was also a U.S. Navy SEAL. And he served alongside Kyle, during which he was given the nickname "Dauber." He initially served as a consultant on this film before Bradley Cooper offered him the chance to play himself in the film, and he accepted.
- #096
Bradley Cooper had spoken with Chris Kyle on the phone only once, just a few weeks before Chris Kyle's tragic death. According to Cooper, it was a two-minute conversation. Cooper devoted the eight months since Kyle's death to bringing Chris back to life and honoring the Kyle family. Cooper did such a great job that the Navy SEALs who knew Kyle and trained Cooper said they felt Chris's presence when Bradley was around.
- #097
Chris Kyle met Marcus Luttrell, the subject of the film Lone Survivor (2013), during their B.U.D.s (S.E.A.L. Training). They became close friends but graduated from different classes. They stayed in frequent contact and remained friends for the rest of Kyle's life.
- #098
In the final title sequence, when the real Chris Kyle's funeral is shown, his coffin is covered with numerous SEAL Trident pins (nicknamed "The Budweiser"). This is a S.E.A.L. tradition of hammering one's own badge by hand onto the coffin of a fallen comrade. At a "normal" S.E.A.L. funeral, there would be about a dozen on the coffin (usually close members of the team). Kyle's coffin had more than 100.
- #099
Bradley Cooper recalled that Chris Kyle's father was very sensitive when they first met, and he found it surreal to sit at the same dinner table where Kyle had eaten dinner just a few months earlier. Cooper claimed that during their conversations he promised Kyle's father that when filming began he would be as close to him as possible, even though at the time he looked nothing like his son and his voice did not sound like his son's.
- #100
Bradley Cooper wore the real Chris Kyle's walking shoes in this film, and they were given to him to keep after production ended. In interviews about the film's release, Cooper claimed he still wore the shoes for personal use.
- #101
Bradley Cooper claimed that before preparing for this film, his only experience with firearms had been at summer camp as a child. In earlier films he had only been trained on how to hold and fire a weapon loaded with blank ammunition. All the shooting lessons in this film were live-fire.
- #102
While working on this role, Bradley Cooper used Chris Kyle's workout playlists as music to listen to. He also pinned a picture of Chris Kyle to the gym wall so that it would always be in front of his target.
- #103
Bradley Cooper said he did not want to get "cut" or "ripped" to accurately portray Chris Kyle, because that was not who Kyle was. He wanted to get big to play Kyle, and his training was designed to give him great size, but not to define his muscles. He said his physique was built not through bodybuilding but only through heavy Olympic weightlifting. Cooper went from 185 pounds to 225 pounds to look as massive as Chris Kyle for the role, and in fact showed his courage for the film.
- #104
Despite the depictions in this film, Chris Kyle never shot a child. At one point in his autobiography, Chris Kyle has a child in his scope. That moment is also depicted in this film. The fighters had sent the child down the street to pick up an R.P.G. "I had a clear view in my scope," Kyle wrote, "but I did not fire. I would not kill a child, innocent or not. I would have to wait for the savage who put him up to it to show himself in the street."
- #105
The real Chris Kyle had every intention of joining the Marines. However, when he went to the military recruiting office, where recruiters from all branches had their offices, the Navy recruiter was at lunch and the Navy recruiter saw Kyle and invited him to talk about the Navy and what it could offer.
- #106
Bradley Cooper admitted that he was worried about the amount of physical training the role required because he had been sober for ten years and did not want to resort to performance-enhancing drugs.
- #107
As of 2015, this is not only the highest-grossing war film of all time worldwide, but also the highest-grossing war film in the US (not adjusted for inflation), surpassing Saving Private Ryan (1998). Steven Spielberg, the producer and director of Saving Private Ryan (1998), had previously been set to direct this film.
- #108
At Chris Kyle's funeral, country musician Randy Travis performed "Amazing Grace." Earlier drafts of the screenplay also included his remarks at the funeral, but in the final film this was replaced by "The Funeral" by Ennio Morricone.
- #109
Chris Kyle's father told Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper personally that he would "unleash Hell" if his son's memory was disrespected in this film. He also said that Eastwood and Cooper were "men he could trust."
- #110
In Eddie Ray Routh's murder trial, it emerged that Chris Kyle was shot six times in the back with a.45-caliber handgun, causing fatal wounds to his aorta and spine. Kyle's friend Chad Littlefield, who had accompanied Kyle and Routh to the shooting range, was also shot several times in the back and head. During the attack, both men were found with their own weapons still holstered. Routh, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and alcohol dependence, suffered from hallucinations and paranoia but refused all treatment and medication. He claimed that he sat in the back of the truck on the way to the shooting range and shot both men because they were not talking to him. The weapon Routh used to kill Littlefield was Kyle's own 9 mm Sig Sauer pistol. After the murders, Routh fled the scene in Kyle's pickup truck. Tragically, on the way to the range Kyle had texted Littlefield "this dude is straight up nuts," and Littlefield had texted "watch my six."
- #111
This film was released a month before Eddie Ray Routh's trial for the murder of Chris Kyle. Routh pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. On February 24, 2015, in Stephenville, Texas, Routh was found guilty of capital murder (the jury rejected his insanity defense) and was sentenced there to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors chose not to seek the death penalty.
- #112
Except for two weeks of shooting in Morocco for the Iraqi exterior scenes, this film was shot entirely in California.
- #113
During the period when he was set to direct this film, Steven Spielberg contributed many ideas to help the storytelling, most notably the addition of a rival enemy sniper. Because of these changes, the screenplay reached nearly one hundred and sixty pages, at which point Spielberg felt he could no longer bring his vision for the film to the screen. He left on August 5, 2013, and less than three weeks later, on August 21, it was announced that Clint Eastwood would direct.
- #114
Chris's real-life widow, Taya Kyle, does not believe that Navy SEAL Eddie Ray Routh, who killed Chris Kyle, killed him because of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She believes that is what "others want to believe." She rejects the claim entirely.
- #115
Before starting work on this film, Bradley Cooper worked with John Krasinski on Aloha (2015), in which Krasinski had to play a passionate military man. Cooper was so impressed by Krasinski's physique that he hired his trainer, Jason Walsh, to train him for this film.
- #116
At the beginning of this film, Chris's father tells him never to drop his weapon. Chris then drops his weapon while running for cover from enemy fire on his final tour of duty.
- #117
Taya Kyle initially thought Sandra Bullock should play her, because she felt she had a close connection with her and thought Sienna Miller was probably too English. However, after meeting Miller and bonding over motherhood, she became certain of her own choice.
- #118
This is one of the few films in which the final title sequence continues silently after the funeral montage, without a note or a song.
- #119
Between takes, Bradley Cooper often talked with Clint Eastwood about filmmaking. Cooper stated that he had a goal of becoming a director and that Eastwood, who transitioned from actor to director, was an inspiration to him. He made his directorial debut with A Star Is Born (2018), which he also co-wrote and produced and which won an Academy Award.
- #120
According to Jason Hall, two babies were supposed to play Chris and Taya Kyle's child. When one of the babies got sick and the other did not show up, a doll was used.
- #121
To prepare for her role, Sienna Miller first wrote an email to the real Taya Kyle, and over the following months they communicated with each other via Skype. She also spent time with Taya in Los Angeles and talked about family as a way of getting to know her speech and mannerisms. According to Sienna, the hardest part was knowing how Taya would start a conversation with her late husband or with anyone else.
- #122
When screenwriter Jason Hall attended Chris Kyle's funeral, he received numerous threats from soldiers who were friends of Chris. One soldier even said, "If you fuck this up, I'll kill you." The soldier later approved after watching the film.
- #123
Bradley Cooper, who gained more than forty kilos of muscle for this role, had to lose weight immediately after filming wrapped in order to take part in the Broadway production of The Elephant Man, in which he played the physically deformed Joseph "John" Merrick.
- #124
Bradley Cooper wanted to do justice to Chris Kyle's size, because he thought that if he did not look like him, he could not portray him accurately. He said that after every take he would go and ask the crew, "Did I look big enough?"
- #125
Bradley Cooper admitted that he thought using an unconvincing plastic doll for Kyle's small child in a serious, emotional scene was stupid. As Cooper moved the doll's arm with his thumb, he made a sound in Texas: "I'm saving y'all one hundred thousand dollars."
- #126
This film broke the January record with a first-weekend opening of 105 million dollars.
- #127
Bradley Cooper claimed that the Iraq scenes were shot in Morocco over two weeks of six days each. Producer and director Clint Eastwood wanted to finish shooting in that region as soon as possible before the weather got too hot.
- #128
It is the first Clint Eastwood film to exceed 300 million dollars in the United States.
- #129
The difference between the book and the film is that on Chris Kyle's first deployment he had not completed sniper training and had only specialized in Navy training.
- #130
When it was announced in 2012 that Jason Hall would adapt Chris Kyle's memoir, Kevin Lacz's wife Lindsey contacted him via a Facebook message and asked him not to ruin the story. She was surprised that Hall responded immediately afterward and asked for help with the technical aspects of the screenplay. Lacz then immediately offered to help, and both men took notes and corresponded, and afterward became good friends. Also, in the months before his death, Kyle got involved and offered to help.
- #131
Although the screenplay is credited in the titles as adapted from Kyle's book of the same name, screenwriter Jason Hall claims that he began researching the screenplay and met Chris Kyle before the book was completed and published, and that after Kyle's death he continued to interview Kyle's widow for more details. Hall finished the book as follows: "I knew absolutely that there was much more to this man than was on those pages. What happened when he came home and what going to war cost him was not really told. I wanted to look at that more deeply."
- #132
After his first kill, Chris returns and sees another team member reading a comic book. The comic book is about the character The Punisher, who carries a skull on his chest. This skull was later seen in the decoration of uniforms and vehicles in Kyle's team.
- #133
The real-life Chris Kyle gave an interview with Conan O'Brien a year before he died (on January 31, 2012).
- #134
When Steven Spielberg decided not to direct this film, he immediately contacted Clint Eastwood, with whom he had a good relationship, and correctly thought that Eastwood would be interested in filming Chris Kyle's story. Spielberg's only specific note to Eastwood regarding this film concerned the character Mustafa: Steven was pleased with the changes or edits Clint planned for the shooting script, but he thought Mustafa was important enough that he wanted to emphasize this to the new director.
- #135
In this film, Bradley Cooper, who weighed two hundred and twenty-five kilos, claims that his normal weight is one hundred and eighty-five kilos and that he had never weighed more than two hundred kilos before making this film.
- #136
Bradley Cooper claimed that at the end of this film, while flirting with Chris Taya, Clint Eastwood suggested the line "Drop those drawers, drop them nice and easy."
- #137
While the real Chris Kyle was known for shooting at a distance of two thousand one hundred meters (one thousand nine hundred and twenty meters) at its farthest point, Bradley Cooper was only able to hit a target at a distance of six hundred and fifty-six yards (six hundred meters).
- #138
The man named "Biggles," despite being blinded in both eyes due to the wounds he received, lived long enough to marry his girlfriend and lead a satisfying life. He lost his life while being taken into surgery. In the book, Chris Kyle takes him to a bar, and allegedly overhears Jesse Ventura there. Biggles asks Kyle to introduce him to Ventura, but Ventura refuses. After a while, Ventura speaks loudly against the war and against President George W. Bush. Kyle politely asks him to stop. After Ventura continues, Kyle punches him. Kyle never named Ventura, only made a statement, and this section was omitted from later editions of the audiobook. In later interviews, Kyle admitted that it was Ventura. Ventura maintains that he would never say this and that no such thing happened. Ventura later sued Kyle and, after Kyle's death from an insult, his estate. He won, but in the second trial the large fine awarded because Ventura profited from his name was overturned, though a five hundred thousand dollar fine was upheld as compensation, which resulted in a settlement of an undisclosed amount.
- #139
With this film's box office success, Bradley Cooper placed in the top five among the highest-grossing R-rated films of all time. The other two are The Hangover (2009) and The Hangover Part II (2011).
- #140
The music playing in the montage of Chris Kyle's funeral is the piece "The Funeral," written by Ennio Morricone and originally composed for the spaghetti western The Return of Ringo (1965). Clint Eastwood composed the limited original music for this film and did not receive any on-screen credit for it. Morricone is a friend of Clint's and composed the music for several spaghetti western films in which Eastwood also appeared.
- #141
Due to Chris Kyle's tragic death so early in the production process, Bradley Cooper had unlimited access to Kyle's belongings, which the family had not yet had time to sort through or dispose of. Cooper watched hundreds of hours of raw home movie footage and examined Kyle's wardrobe while researching the role.
- #142
The screenplay for this film was on the 2013 Black List, the list of the year's "most liked" unproduced screenplays.
- #143
In the film, Chris Kyle is depicted shooting first the child with a grenade, then the mother when he picks it up to throw it. In the real event, he was the only person shot when he attempted to attack US forces.
- #144
David O. Russell at one point considered directing this film, but the deal with Warner Brothers did not work out. Steven Spielberg later showed interest, but he too moved on.
- #145
For the scene in which Chris Kyle nervously nudges an Iraqi child holding an RPG launcher and agonizes over whether to fire, Bradley Cooper claimed that Clint Eastwood was off-frame and told Cooper what he was thinking at every tense moment in the scene.
- #146
In the scene where Chris fires his rifle to kill Mustafa, depending on the caliber of the bullet used, it took 2-3 seconds for it to travel a mile and hit him.
- #147
Chris Kyle joined the US Navy in 1999.
- #148
The film's only Oscar, for Best Achievement in Sound Editing, was coincidentally presented by Sienna Miller from the cast.
- #149
Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper stayed at a Holiday Inn Express during filming, where they both had breakfast and hung out together after the daily wrap.
- #150
In the opening scene where Kyle (Bradley Cooper) rides a bucking horse, the horse stepped on the stunt performer's right hand.
- #151
The line "Aim small, miss small" was also stated by Mel Gibson in The Patriot (2000).
- #152
Kyle's main weapon is the formidable McMillan TAC-338A, loaded with.338 caliber Lapua Magnum rounds.
- #153
Due to the timing and scope of the film's initial release and its later expansion to more theaters, AMERICAN SNIPER holds a unique record in ticket revenue: it easily earned the least money in a calendar year in which it was the number one film of that year. The reason for this is Warner Bros. The film was released in only a few theaters in the last week of 2014 so that it could be eligible for the Oscars. Before 2015 began, it earned slightly more than 2 million dollars, and in 2015 it earned 348 million dollars in theaters.
- #154
The blank rounds fired on set were very loud, and the actors were given hearing protection, positioned to shield them from the gunfire as much as possible.
- #155
Jaimie Alexander, Kate Mara and Evangeline Lilly were considered to play Taya. Mara chose to do Fantastic Four (2015) and Lilly chose Ant-Man (2015).
- #156
At 84, Clint Eastwood was the oldest producer ever nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, tying with David Brown for Chocolat (2000).
- #157
It is the highest-grossing dramatic film of the year (in the US) since Saving Private Ryan (1998).
- #158
Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller reunited immediately for the shoot of Burnt (2015) just one month after filming on this movie wrapped.
- #159
Because Bradley Cooper needed a timeline and a budget to undergo the physical training required to transform into Chris Kyle, he had to discuss his plans with director Clint Eastwood. Cooper claims that Eastwood, known for being laid-back and efficient, assured him that he looked good enough as he was and that they could start shooting as soon as possible, while Cooper insisted that he could not believe he was Kyle unless he got himself into shape. Eastwood accepted the schedule.
- #160
One of the soldiers refers to the enemy sniper as "a real Keyser Soze." This is a nod to The Usual Suspects (1995), in which the untraceable, untouchable and extremely powerful villain named Keyser Söze turns out to be nothing more than a fictional bogeyman whose name is used to frighten others. The man described as the Butcher, as the commander suggests at one point, may be several people sharing a fictional identity.
- #161
This film was produced and distributed by Warner Brothers, owner of the DC Comics brand. Yet the skull bearing the signature of The Punisher (a popular Marvel comic book character) can be seen in several scenes.
- #162
In real life, Chris Kyle and his S. E. A. L. buddies were big fans of G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1985), and they named two characters, "Duke" and "Snake Eyes," after their vehicles. Sienna Miller (Taya Kyle) had played the Baroness in G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009).
- #163
The Punisher logo can frequently be seen on parts of the S. E. A. L. team's equipment, such as a Humvee-mounted gun, and on the backs of many S. E. A. L. uniforms.
- #164
It is the second R-rated film in history to gross over 300 million dollars domestically, after The Passion of the Christ (2004).
- #165
It is the only film nominated for Best Picture at that year's Oscars but not nominated at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards.
- #166
We see young veteran Mads (Jonathan Groff), an amputee, meeting Chris, first sitting in a chair in the repairman's office and then walking to show that he is an amputee. The way Groff plays the character is inconsistent with a veteran with a prosthetic leg throughout the scene, including when Chris crouches down to tell his son Colton about his father's heroism. A person with a prosthetic leg does not sit where his leg is not straight, walking is like a twisted ankle, and he can never crouch unless it is a high-tech prosthetic leg with moving joints.
- #167
In the scene where Kyle teases his friend for reading a comic book, the comic book in question is The Punisher. This is the source of the skull emblem that the SEALs later adopted and painted on their body armor and vehicles.
- #168
This is the first film Bradley Cooper and Clint Eastwood worked on together. The second is The Mule (2018).
- #169
WWE wrestler Chris Jericho auditioned for a small role in front of Clint Eastwood but did not get it.
- #170
It held the number one spot in domestic box office receipts for three weeks and was eventually dethroned by The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015).
- #171
It is the fourth highest-grossing series in domestic box office receipts, after Titanic (1997), The Passion of the Christ (2004) and Michael (2026).
- #172
Before becoming a screenwriter, Jason Hall played the role of Devon in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997). His co-star Leonard Roberts played a special forces soldier in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) and in this film, where he was one of the S. E. A. L.s.
- #173
The Punisher skull logo is seen intermittently throughout this film, beginning with Chris Kyle's first conversation with Ryan "Biggles" Job, who is seen reading The Punisher comic book. However, the correlation between the War in Iraq and The Punisher (2004), which the aforementioned skull logo most closely resembles, may perhaps be more meaningful. The Punisher (2004) was released in April, at a time when US Marines suffered heavy losses during the First Battle of Fallujah.
- #174
When Chris returns to his tent, Biggles is reading a comic book: The Punisher. The character Frank Castle in The Punisher series is a decorated Marine and war hero.
- #175
While rumors circulated that Warner Bros. turned down Chris Pratt for the lead role, Pratt ultimately declined the part because he was busy with Parks And Recreation (2009), Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) and Jurassic World (2015).
- #176
The line "Enter fucking sandman," spoken as the sandstorm approaches, is a reference to Metallica's song "Enter Sandman."
- #177
Bradley Cooper and Jake McDorman played friends in this film, but they had also appeared together in Limitless (the series).
- #178
Billy Miller's (Navy Petty Officer) first feature film.
- #179
The third film with a two-word title beginning with "American" and featuring Bradley Cooper. This unofficial naming trilogy: this film, American Hustle (2013) and Older Than America (2008). Cooper also appeared in Wet Hot American Summer (2001).
Behind the Scenes (3)
- #180
Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper stayed at a Holiday Inn Express during filming, where they both ate breakfast and hung out together after the day's shooting wrapped.
- #181
During the opening scene in which Kyle (Bradley Cooper) rides a bucking horse, the horse stepped on the stunt performer's right hand.
- #182
Clint Eastwood grew a beard during filming to better understand Chris Kyle's character.
Characters & Cast (7)
- #183
While working on this role, Bradley Cooper used Chris Kyle's workout playlists as music to listen to. He also pinned a picture of Chris Kyle to the gym wall so that his target would always be in front of him.
- #184
Bradley Cooper admitted he was worried about the amount of physical training the role required, since he had been sober for ten years and did not want to resort to performance-enhancing drugs.
- #185
Bradley Cooper, who gained more than forty kilograms of muscle for this role, had to lose weight immediately after filming wrapped in order to take part in the Broadway production of The Elephant Man, in which he played the physically deformed Joseph "John" Merrick.
- #186
Scott Eastwood auditioned for the role of Jeff Kyle.
- #187
Bradley Cooper had only intended to produce the film and wanted Chris Pratt, the star of Guardians of the Galaxy, for the lead role.
- #188
Before becoming a screenwriter, Jason Hall played the role of Devon in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997). His co-star Leonard Roberts played a special forces soldier in both Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) and this film, in which he was one of the SEALs.
- #189
While rumors circulated that Warner Bros. rejected Chris Pratt for the lead role, Pratt ultimately turned the role down because he was busy with Parks And Recreation (2009), Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) and Jurassic World (2015).
Easter Eggs & References (4)
- #190
Bradley Cooper claimed that before preparing for this film, his only experience with firearms had been at summer camp as a child. In previous films he had only been trained on how to hold and fire a gun loaded with blank ammunition. All the shooting lessons in this film were live-fire.
- #191
One of the soldiers refers to the enemy sniper as "a real Keyser Soze." This is a reference to The Usual Suspects (1995), in which the untraceable, untouchable and immensely powerful villain named Keyser Söze turns out to be nothing more than a fictional bogeyman whose name is used to frighten others. As the commander suggests at one point, the man described as the Butcher may be several people sharing a fictional identity.
- #192
The line "Enter fucking sandman" spoken as the sandstorm approaches is a reference to Metallica's song "Enter Sandman".
- #193
During a bar scene, the sound of a college basketball game can be heard in the background. It was announced that former Kentucky Wildcat Patrick Sparks scored seven points in the game against South Carolina.
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #194
In the scene where Kyle teases his friend for reading a comic book, the comic in question is The Punisher. This is the source of the skull emblem that the SEALs later adopted and painted on their body armor and vehicles.
Career & Awards (4)
- #195
With this film, Bradley Cooper became the tenth actor to be nominated for an Oscar three years in a row. He had previously been nominated for American Hustle (2013) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012).
- #196
Because of the timing and scope of its initial release and its later expansion to more theaters, American Sniper holds a unique box-office record: it earned by far the least money of any film that became the year's number one film within a single calendar year. The reason was Warner Bros. The film opened in only a few theaters in the last week of 2014 so that it would be eligible for an Oscar. It earned a little over $2 million before 2015 began, then took in $348 million at theaters in 2015.
- #197
At 84, Clint Eastwood was the oldest producer ever nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, tying with David Brown, who was nominated for Chocolat (2000).
- #198
It was the only film nominated for Best Picture at that year's Oscars that was not nominated at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards.
Life & Family (1)
- #199
The real Chris Kyle fully intended to join the Marine Corps. However, when he went to the military recruiting office that housed recruiters from all the service branches, the Marine recruiter was at lunch, and the Navy recruiter spotted Kyle and invited him to talk about the Navy and what it could offer him.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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