Lone Survivor is based on the memoir by Marcus Lutrell of the same name. The true account of the failed "Operation Red Wings" in 2005. A 4 man NAVY SEAL team was deployed in the mountains of Afghanistan to capture and kill a Taliban member (high level, low level... however you may choose to see it. I'm not reviewing the validity of Lutrells' book; I'm reviewing a film.) The mission goes horribly awry and only Lutrell is left alive when all is said and done.
The film itself opens with real life footage of Seal training; going through the worst of the worst, giving the audience a detailed picture of what crafts these men in to the soldiers that they are. Title card. A helicopter is shown carrying the badly wounded Lutrell back to base. He flatlines. 3 days earlier: We open on Taylor Kitsch's Michael Murphy reading emails from his fiancee back home; and are then introduced to the other 3 leads, played by Ben Foster (Matt 'Axe' Axelson), Emile Hirsch (Danny Dietz), and of course, the "Lone Survivor" Mark Wahlberg, who plays Lutrell. The next twenty minutes or so is exposition; showing these four men bonding, letting us know just how close they really are, making us connect with them (even though we all know what lies ahead.). The mission gets underway; and we're shown the strength and confidence of the group; they're adamant and confident they are going to succeed. They move vantage points to get a better position; and things start to go downhill. 3 Afghans are caught wandering near the group; and the team is forced to make a tough decision. They let the 3 go, and bail on the OP, under orders from Murphy.
The next 40 minutes or so come at you like a flurry of hard hitting, almost over the top punches. It's unrelenting, as the Taliban continue to pursue and assault the team. Each man has been shot, at least a few times, some worse than others. They continue to fight and press on; taking huge plunges down the side of mountains, frantically trying to find a radio signal to call for back up; all the while making sure to protect each other and themselves. It's all for naught, and 3 of the 4 are killed in action. From here on out; the film does slow down quite a bit, almost a bit TOO MUCH after the hard fought battle we just sat through. (I know, this is all how it really happened; but from a film standpoint, it's boring.) It picks up again in the last 20 minutes, but a bit too "HOORAH AMERICA!"-esque for my liking. Even down to the refugees who sheltered Lutrell attempting to learn English from the almighty American solider. (Again, I know this is based on Lutrells account.)
The cast: All 4 leads give WONDERFUL, heartfelt performances; with the stand out being Ben Foster. The veteran Wahlberg is surprisingly the weak link; and that's not to say he is bad by any means, it's just that the team around him shines brighter than him, for the time they are in the film. Taylor Kitsch, who is notoriously wooden in just about everything he does delivers what I'd say is the performance of his young career (I think a good bit of credit for this does go to director Peter Berg; who tends to bring out a BETTER Taylor Kitsch *aside from Battleship*), and Emile Hirsch proves once again that he's one of the best young actors around right now. As I said though, Ben Foster steals the show, he delivers a GREAT, emotional performance with heart for miles.
Director Peter Berg clearly has a love for this story; and that love shows through in his directorial effort. This is his passion project; and he lens' the film with some of the best work he's put out in quite some time; especially after Battleship was such a disaster. He obviously has respect for the armed forces, and that did even show through in Battleship; but comes through ten fold in "Lone Survivor".
This isn't a film that's going to get any award show love; and it's not for everybody, that's clear just from the trailers. There is two sides of this coin as well, I know there are numerous people out there who refute and slander Lutrell as a money monger, and have poked hole after hole in his story. But if you're looking for a war movie that has heart and a powerful message of brotherhood and the fraternal bond that can over come near impossible odds; then give Lone Survivor a shot when it heads to wide release in a few weeks.
4/5