It has been said many Americans no longer revere true heroes and don’t have as much time for patriotism as did our ancestors. It may be difficult to convince those involved with the movie “American Sniper” of that.

The Clint Eastwood film tells the story of Texan Chris Kyle, perhaps the most deadly sniper in U.S. military history.

Kyle served four tours of duty in Iraq during active U.S. military operations there. The Navy SEAL thought he owed it to his country and to his comrades in arms.

After leaving the Navy, Kyle devoted much of his time to helping fellow veterans cope with challenges such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Kyle and a friend were murdered in 2013, by a man they were trying to help.

Flashy special effects, make-believe super heroes and super stars tend to clean up at the box office these days.

But not last weekend. “American Sniper” took in $105.3 million at U.S. theaters. That, by the way, is an all-time record for a movie opening during the winter months.