Howard Dean agreed with Maher, saying viewers of “American Sniper” are likely a bunch of “angry” Tea Party members.

When Bill Maher Calls Chris Kyle a ‘Psychopath Patriot,’ Watch How Maher’s Guests React

Is “American Sniper” just a mindless, pro-war action movie with a “psychopath” hero?

That’s what one liberal claimed — but he was quickly contradicted by his own guests.

Bill Maher, host of HBO’s “Real Time,” came out swinging against the blockbuster “American Sniper” on his show Friday night, complaining that the film doesn’t show any nuance and merely presents sniper Chris Kyle as an American hero.

“‘He’s a psychopath patriot and we love him,’” Maher said mockingly of the thousands of Americans who flocked to see the film.

Maher quoted Kyle speaking of al-Qaeda operatives as “savages” that he didn’t mind killing.

“That doesn’t seem like a Christian thing to say,” Maher said.

Maher’s guests were quick to contradict his indictment of Kyle.

First, Howard Dean agreed with Maher, saying viewers of “American Sniper” are likely a bunch of “angry” Tea Party members.

But then two other guests made the case that there is nuance in the movie, and that it’s not just about “killing savages” — it’s about the horror of war, the moral struggles a sniper faces and the battle with PTSD that rages on the home front.

By the time comedian Bill Burr said, ”You can’t sum up a man by one quote taken out of context,” the tide had shifted, leaving even Dean backpedaling a bit, arguing that Americans aren’t any different from people around the world in wanting to find honor in veterans.

Watch the segment below (content warning: strong language):