In a late bid to expunge any lasting doubts of American Sniper ahead of the Oscars this month, Harvey Weinstein has gone out on the attack in response to those critical of Clint Eastwood's drama. The film's subject, sniper Chris Kyle, has been called a "hate-filled killer" and the movie has been criticised in some circles for its flag waving.

American SniperBradley Cooper [L] and Sienna Miller [R] in American Sniper

However, speaking to Indiewire, Weinstein said the movie had captured the American public's imagination and deserved credit because it "introduces America to PTSD".

He said: "How about all these pieces of junk our kids are seeing? Let's go after them instead." 

"No one was ever saying, 'There's a really good story about a human being who hands out money to children, builds houses, works hard. The Jimmy Carter story. You sit in an editorial meeting and [pitch] the Jimmy Carter story and they go, 'Fucking boring. I don't give a shit.' Our priorities are so screwed," continued the producer.

More: American Sniper breaks Super Bowl record with $31.85 million

"When you say, 'Hey, American Sniper's got a hole in it,' they salivate over that stuff. It's sexy," he added, "If you're going to write an article, just do one thing that used to happen all the time: do the research."

American Sniper has taken $316 million globally and has won praise from President Obama, among other. Still, it remains a fair distance from being considered critically acclaim and holds a 73% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Still, some critics - including the Observer's Mark Kermode - credit the poker-faced Eastwood for making a film that is more ambiguous than first assumed (though arguing it needed more of a dissenting voice, which Steven Spielberg had planned to introduce). 

More: Is American Sniper's Chris Kyle really a coward?