American Sniper
HeartGuard score
How suitable a title is for Christian viewers, from 0 to 100. It weighs the content meters and the worldview.
- 80–100Recommended
- 60–79Watch with care
- 35–59Think it throughThis film
- 15–34Strong caution
- 0–14Not recommended
HeartGuard score
How suitable a title is for Christian viewers, from 0 to 100. It weighs the content meters and the worldview.
- 80–100Recommended
- 60–79Watch with care
- 35–59Think it throughThis film
- 15–34Strong caution
- 0–14Not recommended
Worldview score
What the story celebrates or condemns.
Why +1 for this film
The film honours sacrifice, loyalty and protection of others, and takes the cost of war on families and veterans seriously, though it largely accepts Chris's black-and-white view of the enemy.
- +2Affirms faithPresents faith in God positively and as true
- +1Positive valuesThis filmHonesty, sacrifice and family win out
- 0Mixed or neutralNo clear stance
- −1AmbivalentShows sin without judging it either way
- −2Glamorises sinMakes sin look attractive and rewarding
Age guide
How suitable this film is for each age group.
Why 16+ for this film
Graphic war violence, including the shooting of a woman and a child and a boy killed with a power drill, plus pervasive strong language and sustained distress, make it too intense for younger teens.
- Under 8No
- Ages 8–12No
- Ages 13–15Wait
- Ages 16–17Check first
- AdultsCheck first
A gripping, harrowing war biography of a Navy SEAL sniper and the toll of combat on his marriage and mind. Expect pervasive strong language and graphic violence, including the killing of a child.
Watch guide
What's in it?
LanguagePervasive strong language
Soldiers swear constantly, with very frequent f-words and other crude terms throughout the war scenes and at home.
BlasphemyRepeated exclamations
God's and Jesus' names are used as exclamations a number of times, mostly in combat and barracks talk.
Sex and nudityImplied sex, innuendo
Chris walks in on his girlfriend with another man; the scene is brief and shows no explicit nudity. There is crude sexual banter among the men and a kiss or two between Chris and Taya.
RelationshipsInfidelity, strained marriage
An early girlfriend cheats on Chris. His marriage to Taya is loving but badly strained by repeated tours, and she warns him she may not stay.
ViolenceGraphic war violence
Frequent shootings, including of a woman and a child, bloody wounds and deaths of soldiers. An insurgent leader tortures and kills a boy with a power drill in front of his father.
Frightening scenesSustained tension, distress
Long, tense combat sequences, a child put in danger, and the drill killing are deeply disturbing. Chris's trauma at home is shown in unsettling moments.
Drugs and alcoholHeavy bar drinking
A bar scene features heavy drinking, and a woman drinks too much and is sick. Chris drinks alone after coming home.
AttitudesDehumanising language
Soldiers use slurs and contemptuous names for Iraqis, and Chris sees the enemy in stark terms. The film also shows the moral weight and personal cost of killing.
OccultNone
There are no occult elements.
- To knowContent to know about
- Skip for kidsSkip for younger viewers
- DiscussWorth discussing
- Early
Infidelity and sexual content
Arriving back at his flat, Chris discovers his girlfriend with another man in her bed; the moment is short, and he orders her out.
- Early
Alcohol and crude talk
A bar scene shows heavy drinking, and a woman drinks too much and is sick. Chris and Taya first meet here, with crude banter between the men.
- Early
Killing of a childSkip if under 15
During his initial deployment, Chris fires on a woman and a young boy as they bring an anti-tank grenade towards a group of Marines. He is shaken afterwards.
- Mid
Torture and child deathSkip if under 16
An insurgent leader known as the Butcher kills a boy with a power drill in front of the boy's father, who had helped the SEALs.
- Mid
Strong language and slurs
Soldiers swear constantly, including f-words, and use God's and Jesus' names as exclamations. Some use contemptuous names for Iraqis.
- Mid
Marriage under strain
Taya admits to Chris that she is lonely, and warns that she might no longer be around once he comes back from yet another deployment. Chris is distant and on edge at home, and drinks alone.
- Late
Graphic war violenceSkip if under 16
Long, tense firefights with bloody wounds and deaths of fellow SEALs, and a desperate escape in a sandstorm.
- Late
Trauma and recovery
A VA psychiatrist asks Chris what haunts him; he speaks of the men he could not save, and he begins to find purpose helping wounded veterans.
- Late
Real-life tragedy
The film closes with on-screen text and real footage of a real-life tragedy, followed by silent credits, which many viewers find deeply sobering.
How to play
- 1. Draw a cardOne person reads the question out loud.
- 2. Everyone answersThere are no wrong answers. Listen before you reply.
- 3. Pass it onThe next person draws, until the deck is done.
Faith & story
What does it say?
What's it about?The plot, without the ending
Chris Kyle grows up in Texas, learning from his father to hunt and to see himself as a protector of the weak. After a painful betrayal, he joins the Navy and becomes a SEAL sniper. After 9/11 he is sent to Iraq, where his skill saves many American lives and earns him the nickname Legend. Each tour makes him more distant from his wife Taya and their children. As an enemy sniper hunts him, Chris must weigh duty to his comrades against his duty to his family, and face what the war is doing to him.
Through a faith lensHow it connects to the Bible
The film sets a man's sense of duty to protect others beside the cost of the violence he carries. Chris Kyle sees himself as a sheepdog guarding the flock, and the story honours his courage and loyalty. Scripture also honours laying down one's life for friends. The soldier's role is not condemned in the Bible, as when John the Baptist told soldiers to be honest and content rather than to leave the service. Yet the film keeps asking what killing does to the one who does it. David was a warrior whom God did not allow to build the temple because of the blood he had shed, a reminder that even necessary violence leaves a weight. Chris's absence from his family echoes the call to love and be present with those closest to us. Kyle's easy certainty about the enemy sits uneasily with Jesus' command to love enemies and with the fact that every person bears God's image. Anyone carrying guilt and trauma is invited to bring burdens to Christ and to others.
Fruit of the SpiritWhich fruit does it show?
4 out of 9 fruits ripe in this film
Ripe grapes are shown in the film, buds are missing
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Gentleness
Love shows in Chris's devotion to his brothers in arms and his tenderness towards his wife and children. Faithfulness appears in his loyalty to his unit and his return to duty again and again, and Taya's faithfulness to him as she pleads for him to be present at home. Goodness is seen when he helps wounded veterans find purpose after the war. Self-control marks his steady discipline under fire, though it strains at home. Hatred appears in the insurgents' cruelty, including the torture of a child, and in the contempt some soldiers voice for the enemy. Fits of anger flare as Chris struggles with trauma. Sexual immorality appears in the girlfriend's infidelity that opens his story, and drunkenness in the bar scenes where a woman drinks until she is sick.
The charactersExamples to follow or avoid
Chris KyleBradley CooperA Texan SEAL sniper who sees himself as a protector. Skilled and loyal to his team, he struggles to leave the war behind when he is at home.
Taya Renae KyleSienna MillerChris's wife. She loves him and fears for him, and she pleads for him to be present for their family rather than only for the war.
Goat-WinstonKyle GallnerA fellow SEAL and member of Chris's unit, one of the comrades whose safety Chris feels responsible for.
Wayne KyleBen ReedChris's father, who teaches him to shoot and sets out a stern view of people as sheep, wolves or sheepdogs.
DauberKevin LaczA SEAL teammate and friend. He shares the unit's bond and the strain of repeated tours.
How Christians are portrayed
Faith is present but not central. Chris is raised in a churchgoing Texas home where his father speaks of good and evil, and a church scene shows him taking a small Bible, but the film does not explore his belief or how it shapes his choices. Christians are portrayed respectfully rather than mocked, though the church is mostly a backdrop to the story of duty and country.
Community
What other Christians think
What did you notice?
Strong language (the f-word or similar)?
Is this appropriate for Christians to watch?
Thinking of children? Add the youngest age you'd show it to.
Review
Helpful reviewer
The star beside a name
Given to members whose reviews 25 or more people have marked Helpful.
It rewards reviews that help other families decide, not how many someone writes. It's a sign others have found their reviews thoughtful, not a verdict on anyone's faith.
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Details
Film details
- In theatres
- Dec 25, 2014
- On streaming
- Jun 30, 2015
- Cast
- Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner, Cole Konis
- Director
- Clint Eastwood
- Studios
- Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac Entertainment
- Genre
- War, Action
- Run time
- 2h 13m
- Age rating
- US R · UK 15
How we analysed this
We gathered the plot and reception, and facts that independent sources agree on, then rated each content area against our rubric and worldview scale, using AI models calibrated on reference titles. Not yet reviewed by our team. Confidence: medium.
Score = 100 − 16 × content concern (3.95) + 8 × worldview (+1) = 45
This is a guide to help families choose with wisdom, not a verdict on anyone's conscience ().
Updated 2026-10-14