Considering the past history, it’s a bit surprising that someone hadn’t already spoken to Jesse Ventura about Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper. We’ve talked extensively about the legal battle between Chris Kyle’s family and Ventura over claims made in the book American Sniper that allegedly involved the former governor/pro wrestler.
Ventura walked away from the courts with almost $2 million in damages and was ready to go after publisher Harper Collins in the name of truth, but he hasn’t spoken about the movie until now. In an interview with the Associated Press, Ventura didn’t hold back from joining those criticizing the film and its subject, even though he hasn’t seen it:
Mr. Ventura said during an interview Wednesday that Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” — which he has not seen — is as authentic as his 1970s “Dirty Harry” cop films. He then said the famous sniper was a man without honor.
“A hero must be honorable, must have honor. And you can’t have honor if you’re a liar. There is no honor in lying,” Mr. Ventura told The Associated Press, referring to his defamation lawsuit against the late SEAL’s estate over a subchapter in his autobiography titled “Punching Out Scruff Face.” (via)
Kyle’s widow was still attempting to appeal the court’s decision, but it would seem that Ventura is still on his victory lap with these comments. It calls back to his comments after the lawsuit was settled in court, some of which you can see in the CBS This Morning interview below.
(Via Mediaite / Washington Times)