Maps of Movies
American Sniper (2014)
Where American Sniper says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
A war film set in Iraq, shot in California and Morocco: a milk factory plays the date factory, a Santa Clarita ranch plays a village.
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Scenes and places
The rooftop overwatch above an Iraqi street
Chris lies behind his rifle over a convoy route while a woman and a boy walk toward the Marines. The radio leaves the decision to him, and the rules of engagement are not on his side. Whatever he does next will follow him home.
Set in Iraqi street (city not named) — A convoy route in Iraq watched from a rooftop by Chris and the Marines on the ground.
An unnamed Iraqi street during the 2003 invasion; the film does not give the city.
Filmed at Salé, Morocco — French Wikipedia says several scenes were shot in Morocco at Salé; which scene is not stated, so this pairing is a guess. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The Texas boy who learns to hunt and fight
Young Chris shoots his first deer with his father beside him. At the dinner table his father sorts people into sheep, wolves and sheepdogs. Chris learns who he is supposed to be.
Set in Texas ranch country (place not named) — Chris's childhood hunting trips and his later years as a ranch hand and rodeo cowboy.
A small-town Texas farm and church life; the film shows no named place.
The San Diego pub where he meets Taya
Chris has been drilled to distrust three things: ego, booze and women. In a bar he starts talking with Taya, who says up front that she would never date a SEAL. She takes his name anyway.
Set in Irish pub, San Diego — The bar where Chris and Taya meet and talk. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A pub in San Diego, the city of the Navy SEAL training base.
Filmed at Seal Beach pier and bar scenes, California — English Wikipedia names Seal Beach among the filming places; it does not say which scene was shot there, so this is an area-level guess. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The village family who may lead him to the Butcher
Hunting al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Chris questions a family in a village. The father offers to lead the SEALs to the man they call The Butcher. The deal puts the whole unit in the open.
Set in Iraqi village (place not named) — A village where the SEALs question a family during the search for al-Zarqawi's deputy.
A village in Iraq as the film presents it; the shoot used a Southern California movie ranch.
Filmed at Blue Cloud Movie Ranch, Santa Clarita area — The Los Angeles Times, as cited by Wikipedia, reported ten days of filming set in an Afghan village there. Whether that village is this scene is not stated. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The abandoned date factory at the climax
On his fourth tour Chris is sent to kill the sniper Mustafa. His team takes a rooftop inside enemy territory, with insurgents closing in on a factory from every side. Low on ammunition, he has to decide how far to go.
Set in Abandoned date factory, Iraq (place not named) — The building the team holds while insurgents converge from all directions.
A building in a hostile Iraqi district, filmed at a milk factory in California's Imperial Valley.
Filmed at Milk factory, El Centro, California — Wikipedia says a milk factory in El Centro stood in for the abandoned date factory at the climax. The exact address is not given; the pin is the city. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The Veterans Affairs hospital
Back home and on edge, Chris sits across from a Veterans Affairs psychiatrist. The doctor asks what haunts him. His answer sends him somewhere he did not expect to go.
Set in Veterans Affairs hospital (place not named) — Where Chris is counselled after returning from Iraq.
A hospital for American veterans; the film does not name it.
Filmed at Marina del Rey yacht, Los Angeles — The wedding Google Maps · Apple Maps
Filmed at Culver City, Los Angeles — Home with the family Google Maps · Apple Maps
Characters
- Chris Kyle — A Texan ranch hand turned Navy SEAL sniper who serves four tours in Iraq.
- Taya — The woman Chris meets in a San Diego pub, who wants him home.