Controversy grows surrounding "American Sniper" movie

HOUSTON – Movie-goers are still lining up across the nation and across the Houston area to see "American Sniper" -- the book turned movie about late Navy Seal Chris Kyle who was credited as the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history.

The Oscar-nominated film earned a record $107.2 million over the four-day MLK weekend. Moviegoers in Sugar Land were impressed and some even moved emotionally.

"It's a great movie actually," said Maribel Herrero. "I loved the plot."

"That really brought a lot of stuff home," says Ann Phillips. "But at the end, the way he died. It's kind of hard not to be emotional."

But the movie also has generated sharp criticism from some who say the film glorifies war and killing. At one location in California someone vandalized a billboard for the movie. Filmmaker Michael Moore tweeted in part this weekend -- "My uncle killed by sniper in ww2. We were taught snipers were cowards."

Those and other comments have sparked intense debate online -- but many point out the irony that Chris Kyle and other troops sacrificed so much to give every American the right to speak their mind.

"They're out there fighting for the right for them to do so," says moviegoer Edward Koontz. "They can say what they want and that's their prerogative, but they shouldn't diss the people that are over there trying to fight for their right to say what they want to say."

"This is America," adds Ann Phillips. "Everybody gets to say what they want and feel what they want. That's the beauty of living here."


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