Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

US comedian Bill Maher slams 'American Sniper' for glorifying 'psychopath patriot' Chris Kyle

He says the film made more money than Hurt Locker because it was less 'thoughtful'

Jon Stone
Saturday 24 January 2015 10:56 GMT
Comments
US comedian Bill Mahr
US comedian Bill Mahr (HBO)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

American satirist Bill Maher has hit out at Hollywood blockbuster American Sniper, saying that it glorifies a “psychopath patriot”.

Mr Maher, who hosts Real Time with Bill Maher on US television channel HBO, said the $90m grossing film lacked the subtlety of the 2008 film Hurt Locker.

“Hurt Locker made $17 million, because it was a little ambiguous. And thoughtful,” Mr Maher said. “And this one is just ‘American hero, he’s a psychopath patriot and we love him.’”

The comedian also criticised comments by the real-life subject of the film, American special forces sniper Chris Kyle.

Mr Maher made the comments on his television programme on Friday evening.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in