Clint Eastwood calls 'American Sniper' an 'anti-war statement'

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- According to Clint Eastwood, American Sniper should be considered an anti-war film.

Eastwood directed the film, and it has caused some controversy over how it depicts the Iraq War.

"The biggest anti-war statement any film" can make is showing "the fact of what [war] does to the family and the people who have to go back into civilian life like Chris Kyle did," he said at the Producers Guild Award Nominees Breakfast on Saturday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone, who's been to Iraq, called the movie a "simple, well-lit little fairy tale with the nutritional value of a fortune cookie" and "almost too dumb to criticize," while the Wall Street Journal calls it a "fine, lean film that celebrates patriotism and courage."

The movie broke records on its opening weekend by having the best January weekend on record, bringing in over $90 million.