Correction appended: Feb. 4, 2015
Is American Sniper the new The Interview?
Though the war drama is a critical and box office success, it has caught flak in the country where it’s set for its portrayal of the Iraqi people. Now, the only movie theater in Baghdad has yanked the film following protests by viewers and the country’s government, according to the Washington Post.
“It glorifies Americans and makes Iraqis out to be nothing but terrorists,” teacher Ahmed Kamal, 27, who downloaded the flick illegally, told the paper. “It portrays Americans as strong and noble, and Iraqis as ignorant and violent.”
American Sniper, directed by Clint Eastwood, tells the true story of late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who served four tours in Iraq.
Played by Bradley Cooper, Kyle was the most lethal sniper in U.S. history: He killed 160 people in the line of duty.
The Oscar-nominated movie isn’t just controversial overseas: The president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee wrote a letter to Cooper asking him to condemn violent threats made against Muslims by moviegoers.
Meanwhile, Hollywood is divided: Dean Cain, Gary Sinise and Blake Shelton have defended American Sniper, while Michael Moore criticized it.
This article originally appeared on People.com.
Correction: The original version of this story misstated actor Gary Sinise’s opinion of the movie American Sniper. He has defended it.
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