In an appearance on Monday’s broadcast of “CNN Tonight,” host Don Lemon asked former Navy SEAL Cade Courtley, president of SEALsurvival.com, to react to last weekend’s box office hit “American Sniper” starring Bradley Cooper.
Courtley reacted favorably to the film, explaining that in his view it was a responsibility that filmmaker Clint Eastwood took seriously.
“Look, any time Hollywood takes on something of this nature, I always sort of cringe because I don’t know what the outcome is going to be,” Courtley said. “So, I went and saw this movie last Thursday with a couple of vets. We all came out of there just quiet. We really didn’t say a word. Once we got to the parking lot, we were all like, ‘Yeah, they did it right — thank god they did it right. And I was really glad to see that. If I could thank Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper, for taking something that’s an incredible responsibility and doing it right. You know, this was a great individual. This was a hero. And they took that responsibility seriously and I’m very proud of the movie they made.”
Courtley, however, reacted less favorable to Michael Moore’s alleged critique of the film.
“Pretty much the last thing I want to say about this individual because he’s already gotten too much airtime is it just feels like somebody who’s desperate to try to be relevant again because he’s staring at a dead career. As far as I’m concerned, his career is a really good confirmed kill.”
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