Ventura Won’t See ‘American Sniper'; Says Kyle is No Hero

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — "American Sniper" is tops at the box office but don't expect to see former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura lining up at a theater for it.

The former Navy SEAL won $1.8 million in a defamation lawsuit last year against the estate of the late Chris Kyle, the SEAL protagonist of the movie.

Ventura says he won't see the film partly because Kyle is no hero to him. He tells The Associated Press a hero must be honorable, and there's no honor in lying.

Kyle claimed in his "American Sniper" book that he punched out a man, whom he later identified as Ventura, at a California bar in 2006 for allegedly saying the SEALs "deserve to lose a few" in Iraq. Ventura said it never happened. A jury gave Ventura the legal vindication he sought.