Lying on the decrepit attic floor, Matthew peered through his rifle's scope at the scene ahead. The rumbling of tanks echoed from below, making the entire building tremble. Despite this, he remained completely steady, his hands and eyes in sync, displaying an almost soldier-like calm.
Ahead, the street had been reduced to rubble, strewn with debris and scattered bricks. Some areas bore visible craters, and the buildings on both sides were riddled with bullet holes, telling a tale of devastation.
War loomed right in front of him.
The film crew had meticulously recreated this small town, as though it had been hit by shells and swept by machine-gun fire.
Matthew wore his military cap backward, holding his rifle without a hint of tremor, resembling a seasoned veteran. The weapons in his hands and the M4 rifle set aside bore signs of battle: worn paint and scratches that hinted at their heavy use.
The crew's production team had made careful preparations, lending authenticity to every detail.
Smoke from the tank drifted past the attic, but Matthew lay motionless.
Sweat trickled down his forehead as he muttered, "It's damn hot here."
A camera nearby captured his every move.
An observer beside him remarked, "The mud here tastes like crap."
Focused on the scene in front, Matthew replied, "Sounds like you've tried it."
The observer glanced through binoculars and laughed, "Shut up, smartass."
Below, the tank rolled by with a thunderous rumble. To simulate a realistic battlefield, director Clint Eastwood had arranged for actors playing U.S. soldiers and tanks borrowed from the Pentagon, even though the tank wouldn't appear on camera. It was all part of making Matthew's scenes from the attic feel genuine.
Apart from the cameras, everything looked like a real battlefield.
This realism was what Matthew and Clint Eastwood were aiming for. Since the film was autobiographical in nature, they wanted the combat scenes to be as true to life as possible. Although a perfect representation of reality was impossible—and some concessions had to be made to fit the commercial film format—they refused to make the war scenes fantastical or overly stylized.
"Cut!"
Clint Eastwood called a halt to the shoot. The bustling set immediately quieted down. Eastwood approached Matthew, gave him some notes, and resumed filming.
Matthew took a few sips of water, and a makeup artist came over to retouch him. Then he lay back down, resuming his role as a sniper.
Fortunately, it was close to November, so despite the intense sunlight, the temperature wasn't unbearable.
At Eastwood's cue, Matthew instantly fell back into character.
Positioned behind a makeshift barrier in the attic, he focused through the scope on the distant battlefield. Thanks to the real-life training from Chris Kyle, he appeared convincingly professional.
"I see a suspicious operative on a phone," Matthew reported calmly. "He's watching our convoy while making a call. Over."
A voice responded through the earpiece on his shoulder, "If you believe he's reporting our convoy's movements, you have authorization to engage. Over."
Matthew adjusted his scope slightly. The observer whispered beside him, "Maybe he's just calling his mom."
Ignoring the comment, Matthew continued adjusting his aim. "He's on the move!"
This wasn't just scripted narration—the Arab actor across from him was indeed acting out these motions.
Following the planned direction, Matthew shifted his rifle, bringing a pair of Arab mother and child into his crosshairs.
"Wait, I see a woman with a child moving towards the convoy," Matthew said quickly. "They're about 200 yards away and closing in."
Through his scope, he could see the woman and child—and the cameras and crew, though he maintained his composure as if unaware of them.
Later, the final edit would only include shots from cameras specifically capturing his point of view.
Matthew's voice accelerated, "The woman's arm isn't swinging. She's carrying something… she's pulling out a Russian RPG…"
Before he could finish his line, Clint Eastwood yelled, "Cut! Matthew, your tone is off."
The entire set came to a halt.
Matthew stood up, looking over at Eastwood, unsure of where he had gone wrong.
Such complex scenes were always tricky, and any misstep complicated the shoot. But Eastwood was insistent that these details were necessary to create an authentic experience for Matthew, helping him fully inhabit the role of a sniper in combat.
Back when Eastwood filmed Million Dollar Baby, he had even hired professional audience members to create an authentic atmosphere to help Hilary Swank capture the intensity of a boxing match.
As a traditionalist, Eastwood preferred this old-school approach to directing. Modern directors would likely have split the shots and taken multiple takes to help the actor get into character.
Matthew got up, rubbing his slightly numb arms and knees, as Eastwood approached him. "Your tone is off," he explained.
Matthew nodded.
Eastwood continued, "You're a sniper providing rear support. Your job is to assess the battlefield objectively. Whether it's a woman or a child, potential enemies are all the same. You can't bring subjective emotions into it just because they're women or children!"
Matthew recalled his discussions with Chris Kyle, who had described similar scenes. To Kyle, the battlefield was divided between friend and foe.
As Kyle had put it, "Your comrades trust you. You're there to cover them and eliminate threats."
Eastwood added, "Try to adopt an observer's viewpoint. Describe the woman's actions in the simplest, most detached way. Leave any personal feelings out of it."
He emphasized, "Remember, Chris Kyle was a highly trained sniper. Misplaced sympathy could cost his comrades their lives!"
Matthew understood and nodded. "Got it. Let's go again."
After stretching briefly, he lay down once more behind the improvised barrier and readied the sniper rifle.
With his adjustments, the scene was finally completed smoothly.
Before starting the next scene, Eastwood approached again.
"Maintain this mindset," Eastwood instructed, visibly aged but as vigorous as ever. "Remember, you're your comrades' guardian."
Matthew understood the point. Kyle had shared with him that he had felt little guilt after shooting a mother and child because they had become threats by taking up weapons. If he hadn't shot, it would have been his comrades who would have died.
Eastwood was tough and resilient, like the harshest desert rock. Matthew himself wasn't overly sentimental. From the beginning, the character of Chris Kyle had been defined as someone unwavering and resilient—a "cowboy" through and through.
The veteran director had repeatedly emphasized to Matthew that this was the core of the film: "I'm not just brave; I know why I'm brave."
This approach not only enhanced the film's realism but also reflected the protagonist's authentic state of mind, as Kyle himself had described it.
Kyle's character was designed as a "sheepdog"—fighting against wolves to protect the flock. After the tragic events of 9/11, he had found his calling, leaving for the Middle East only three days after his wedding to embark on his fateful journey.
As Kyle had said, his motives were simple: to protect his family and his home.
In the war zone, he had found his place in life. One mission after another, he and his unit struggled to survive against local armed forces in brutal urban warfare. In these conflicts, high-tech weaponry often gave way to the brutal reality of person-to-person combat.
In scenes where the protagonist aimed at women and children, his calm and decisiveness underscored the harsh truth of battle—it was kill or be killed. There was no middle ground.
Eastwood focused on Matthew's actions and physicality rather than dwelling too much on the character's internal struggles.
Matthew, too, disliked overly sentimental portrayals of war. He recalled what Brown Williams, a veteran of African and Middle Eastern conflicts, had told him: when one is in the intensity of battle, there's little room for abstract thought. Ideas of justice or political correctness are irrelevant in life-or-death moments.
Soldiers in combat didn't need lofty ideals.
The finalized portrayal of Chris Kyle was one Matthew felt would resonate with Western audiences, particularly in North America.
This was a heightened version of Kyle—a man who retained his strength and determination under the harshest conditions. He was neither reckless nor oblivious; he was someone whose desire to protect others allowed him to overcome fear and fragility.
Such qualities are admired in any society.