Support Wounded Warriors with Your 'American Sniper' Purchase {A Movie Review}

**I received a copy of American Sniper from Grace Hill Media in exchange for this post. All thoughts are my own.

Unless you've been living under a rock, chances are you've heard all the buzz surrounding the movie 'American Sniper'. Maybe you've already seen it in the theater, perhaps you're waiting for the DVD release next week...or perhaps you're like me and a little apprehensive about watching it. But just in case you've been living under a rock, here's a little bit about the film:

From director Clint Eastwood comes “American Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, whose skills as a sniper made him a hero on the battlefield.

But there was much more to him than his skill as a sharpshooter.

Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield, and as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname “Legend.” However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. He is also facing a different kind of battle on the home front: striving to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world.

Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the spirit of the SEAL creed to “leave no one behind.” But upon returning to his wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.



Pretty powerful stuff, right? And having seen my husband through 3 (of 4) deployments, a subject matter that hit very close to my heart. To be honest, despite the hype and despite the amazing story I was certain it would tell, I wasn't sure about watching it. I wasn't sure I could handle it. And I wasn't sure how my husband would react either. Still, despite the difficult subject matter at hand, I knew it was important. For so many, this is not just a story- not just a movie, it is the reality that they come home to... and it must be talked about. Going to war changes people. Fighting a war, seeing the things they see, doing the things they do... it can't not change you. I have seen it in my husband.

I was not wrong in my apprehension about watching. It was NOT an easy movie to watch. At all. It's powerful. It's raw. It's real. This is not a movie for the family. This is not a movie to watch if you have a loved one who is deployed. This is not a movie for the faint of heart. But this IS an important movie.

It's also supporting an important cause. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will donate a portion of the proceeds across physical and digital sales to Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). One dollar of each purchase will be donated up to $1,000,000 from April 21, 2015 through December 31, 2015, void in Alabama, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi and South Carolina.

The mission of Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To learn more about WWP’s life-saving programs and services, please visit http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/programs.

The Wounded Warrior Project is a fantastic organization that as a (former) military wife, I am proud to stand behind, and I am happy to see Warner Bros partnering with them on this.

American Sniper will be available next week, May 19th.


(Note: Because I tend to share primarily films that are family friendly and/or faith based, I do want to add that this film is Rated R due to the obvious violence and excessive language- which if you've spent much time with a group of Marines you know is pretty true to life. Despite the R rating, I still strongly suggest it!)