I rated this movie a 1 star not because it wasn't entertaining or wasn't cinematically compelling. I rated this movie one star because the message this movie delivers is ignorantly backwards. Throughout this film, we watch (in vivid detail) as Chris Kyle assassinates hundreds of Iraqi men, women, and even children in order to protect American troops. And yet, this movie ends a memorial. I understand that Chris Kyle did his job well. But that does not mean he should be honored as a hero.

I love the United States. This is an amazing country. And so it bothers me when Hollywood portrays an American hero as someone who is willing to kill people without critically evaluating why they should be killed, who sees war as purely good versus evil, and who is hopelessly blind to the bigger picture.

If there is ever to be peace in this world - heck, if we want to protect the US - we need to glorify people who are compassionate, who can put themselves in other people's shoes, and who act in ways that promote trust and love - instead of fueling the cycle of anger and hate.

Go see this movie. But please don't swallow it up without thinking first.