Given everything we have learned about the Iraq War – false claims about weapons of mass destruction, nonexistent links between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda, and so on – Eastwood's film comes across as a work of marketing, not reflection and contemplation. Eastwood has merely updated his earlier films – think The Outlaw Josey Wales or Pale Rider – with their unwavering conviction that America's god of righteousness must prevail.
但世界已经改变，许多人不再将美国的全球角色视为独特的纯真和善良的表达。基于我们从伊拉克战争中所了解的一切——虚假的大规模杀伤性武器借口、子虚乌有与的萨达姆与基地组织的关系，如此等等——伊斯特伍德的电影只是一件营销作品，而不是深思和用心之作。伊斯特伍德只是对其早期电影做了更新——如《西部执法者》（The Outlaw Josey Wales）和《苍白骑士》（Pale Rider）——完全沿袭了这些电影中美国的正义之神必然获胜的坚定信念。