John McCain salutes ‘American Sniper’

The movie “American Sniper” has won an Oscar nomination, struck box-office gold and now picked up a glowing review from Sen. John McCain.

“I congratulate Clint Eastwood and the entire cast and crew of ’American Sniper’ for an outstanding cinematic achievement honoring the life of a genuine American hero, Chris Kyle,” said Mr. McCain, who is a war hero himself, having been shot down as a Navy fighter pilot and survived five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.

“This film depicts with subtlety and compassion those brave few who serve our nation in uniform, their experiences in the horror of war, the burdens they often bear upon returning home, and the untold sacrifices of their families,” said Mr. McCain, Arizona Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Serves Committee.

The film, directed by Mr. Eastwood and staring Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper as a Navy SEAL sharpshooter, has been assailed by the left for glorifying war but nevertheless scored as the nation’s top movie for two consecutive weeks.

“It is deeply regrettable that obsessive critics of U.S. foreign policy have sought to disparage this film and denigrate the memory of a noble American warrior,” Mr. McCain said. “Fortunately, their pettiness has not stopped millions of Americans from seeing ’American Sniper,’ and hopefully in the process, gaining a greater appreciation for the service and sacrifice of America’s military service members and their families.”

Nearly half of all movie tickets sold over the weekend were for “American Sniper,” boosting ticket tales to more than $200 million and making the war drama, based on the true story of Mr. Kyle’s service in the Iraq war, an unqualified mega-hit.