American Sniper

Factual error: When Taya is watching TV and sees the first of the Twin Towers get hit by the suicide plane, she calls to Chris and they watch it together. Chris was born in 1974 and it states he enlisted at 30 which would've been 2004. The bar scene where Taya and Chris meet was after he completed his BUDS training and sniper school. Which, if was timeline accurate would have been 2004 or 2005. Therefore they could not have watched the events of 9/11/01 unfold together on TV because the wouldn't have known each other yet.

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Suggested correction: Chris Kyle joined the Navy in 1999. Not 2004. His book American Sniper does say he was at Taya's house on 9/11. He was summoned back to the base and got caught speeding. Luckily the officer decided to not ticket him.

Factual error: In the first scene when Kyle is doing over-watch for dismounted infantry, an Iraqi is shot and his body falls from the rooftop, startling a soldier. The report is heard first, the a hiss of the incoming shot. It was cool that they tried to make the hiss, but it should have been first, as the bullet is supersonic, and arrives before the report of the gun is heard. Pretty egregious error for a sniper film.

RJ Inkglider

Factual error: When Chris Kyle talks to his wife from Iraq over the phone as she exits the hospital, it appears to be roughly the same time of day in Iraq and in Texas as the scene cuts between shots of Kyle and his wife. Given the time difference, if it were 12 noon in Iraq as Kyle is speaking, it would be 5 AM in Texas as Kyle's wife is speaking. The similar time of day is simply not possible.

Factual error: Throughout the training (sniper) and other times during the movie, shooters react like the rifle has a heavy kick, which they don't.

Movie Medic

American Sniper mistake picture

Factual error: The ranger is wearing an airborne tab above his 2nd Batt patch. They do not wear the airborne tab, rather they just wear jump wings. (01:39:38)

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Mistakes

Other mistake: After the shoot out at night the American forces are faced with a group of hostile locals, and the team are told to pull out and get in the vehicles. As they drive off we see a back shot of them sitting on the back of the one of the vehicles, but on the right hand side you can see a backpack and part of an American soldier, did they just leave him? (01:12:50)

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Quotes

Taya Renae Kyle: You're my husband, you're the father of my children. Even when you're here, you're not here. I see you, I feel you, but you're not here.

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Trivia

Trivia: Contrary to the heroic figure he's portrayed as being in the film, the real-life Chris Kyle was quite the controversial person. By his own admission, he would ignore rules of engagement and stated that he enjoyed killing people in Iraq and that he wished he would have killed more, even referring to Iraqis as "savages." He also falsely claimed in his book and in subsequent radio/television interviews to have punched-out former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura for making disparaging remarks about Navy SEALs at a SEAL reunion in 2006. As a result, Ventura sued Chris Kyle - and later his estate after Kyle's death - and was awarded $1.8 million in damages for defamation of character and unjust enrichment. It was also revealed in May 2016 that Kyle had embellished his military record, claiming in his book to have won two Silver Stars and five Bronze stars, all for valor. In actuality, he had only been awarded one Silver Star and four Bronze Stars. Prior to publishing his book, Navy officials warned him not to include the discrepancy. The Navy concluded its investigation of the matter in July 2016, and reduced his medal count accordingly. Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/navy-finds-american-sniper-chris-kyle-exaggerated-medal-count-article-1.2705473.

Phaneron Premium member

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Questions

Question: When Chris and co are having dinner with an Iraqi family, why does Chris react the way he does when he sees the mark on the Iraqi father's left elbow? What does Chris think it is?

kh1616

Chosen answer: Chris has "shooter's strawberries" on his elbows, which are red callouses caused by lying in the sniper's position for long periods. He notices the same marks on the elbows of the father, and realizes that he too is a military sniper.

Sierra1 Premium member

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