Lone Survivor (***)

Directed by: Peter Berg

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, Eric Bana, Ali Suliman, Yousuf Azami, Sammy Sheik, Alexander Ludwig

Seen: May 17^th 2014

*** Out of ****

Lone Survivor is an incredibly tense and well-made retelling of events the US Navy won’t ever want repeated. It’s been praised by those who were closest to the action for its accuracy regarding Navy SEAL operations and outfitting, and also for in the field portrayal of the action as it happens, and I definitely concur. Lone Survivor is hectic to say the least, with an almost unrelenting barrage of gunfire and close-up action that can be exhausting to even just watch. Peter Berg and his crew injected themselves into the military life to gain experience, and both Berg and the real-life Marcus Luttrell, among others, feature in small cameo roles. Where The Hurt Locker was a slow burning military movie punctuated by tense moments, Lone Survivor is a continuous fight for survival under constant fire.

Lone Survivor tells of Operation Red Wings, a 2005 mission to capture or kill the Taliban leader Ahmad Shah (Azami) in Afghanistan. Available intelligence was not entirely sufficient though, and when the four Navy SEALs were inserted into the area, they realised they were up against a much larger force than anticipated as Shah was accompanied by anywhere between 30 and 50 fighters and his Field Commander Taraq (Sheik). The four SEALs were team leader Murph (Kitsch), snipers Lutrell (Wahlberg) and Axe (Foster), and communications specialist Dietz (Hirsch). Back on base they were supported by Team Commander Kristensen (Bana) and his team, with the young Machinist’s Mate Shane Patton (Ludwig) also featured prominently.

The team was busy with reconnaissance of the area and the town where Shah was supposed to be when a few goat-herders happened upon them. They captured the three Afghani’s, but after discussing the situation decided to let them go, as that was dictated by the rules of engagement. After letting them go they planned to retreat and leave, but one of the goat-herders reached the village very quickly and set the local Taliban force onto them. The reaction surprised the SEAL Team, and in an incredible fight they showed resolve and a selfless bravery with immense odds stacked against them while trying to simply survive. The movie’s title is Lone Survivor however, and the movie is based on Marcus Luttrell’s book chronicling the events. Seeing the various team members fall in their fight is tough, even more so when considering all the additional collateral damage that was suffered during this entire operation.

Wahlberg, Kitsch, Foster and Hirsch give brave portrayals in a terrible situation under overwhelming fire. The action is unrelenting and the team’s efforts to escape or at least stay ahead of the Taliban forces are harrowing to say the least. Especially striking is the tumbles these men took down rough and unknown mountains in efforts to escape – this is filmed closely and for every bone-jarring hit someone takes the audience is there, viscerally experiencing it. The gun-fights almost never end, with only occasional lulls in the constant barrage when the team manages to get perhaps a minute ahead. It’s an incredible testament to the one man who survived this ordeal and also to the fallen heroes for lasting as long as they did. It’s also refreshing to see that the movie takes time to make the Taliban out as the villains and not the Afghan’s – a village of Afghan people save Luttrell and even defend him from Taliban forces – a triumphant moment for sure.

The movie’s drama is effective but most certainly not the centrepiece or main attraction. There is some fun to start the movie off with as a new team member is initiated and the team members’ interaction is depicted as being light-hearted yet serious. When the movie takes a moment during the hectic action to insert some dialogue it doesn’t always work, as is evidenced by lines such as “You want to die for your country, I’m going to live for mine” before shooting an enemy combatant. Lone Survivor is a brilliant war movie with very few flaws. These are however dwarfed by the immense realisation that this is a true story, that these chaotic events actually happened, and that someone really survived it all. If you’re a fan of war movies, Lone Survivor is an absolute must see, and if not it will probably still impress you.