“Lone Survivor” tells the gut-wrenching story of a team of Navy SEALs during Operation Red Wings, a mission to either capture or kill a high-ranking Taliban leader.A four-man reconnaissance team consisting of squad leader Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), snipers Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg) and Matt Axelson (Ben Foster) as well as Communications Specialist
Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch), is assigned to confirm the location of and positively identify the Taliban leader and call in the troops to complete the capture-or-kill mission.
Everything goes according to plan until an unexpected run-in with a trio of goat herders puts the SEALs in a position to have to either kill the unarmed men or release them.Following the mandates of the Rules of
Engagement, the SEALs release the men and within an hour are under heavy fire from Taliban forces.
Under the direction of Peter Berg, who also wrote the screenplay adapted from the novel written by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson, “Lone Survivor” does a phenomenal job of showing the depth and breadth of the camaraderie and brotherhood of American military personnel.
The film does far more than just display graphic images of violence against a squad of out-numbered and out-gunned Navy SEALs, it gives a realistic look at how and why the SEALs fight the way they do. Even if only a small percentage of what “Lone Survivor” depicts is an accurate representation of what these men actually endured, it is easy to understand why SEAL training pushes individuals beyond the capacity of human endurance.
Moreover, it is understandable why the bond between SEALs is so strong. In one of the most moving lines of the picture, Axelson asks Luttrell to give his wife a message. He says, “If I die, tell Kathy I love her so much. And that I died with my brothers; my heart full.”
The best thing “Lone Survivor” does as a film is simply tell the story. Naturally, there are a lot of special effects and explosions, but they are not the main attraction of the film, as demonstrated by the nonexistence of an IMAX or 3D version.
These characters and their story are all that is needed to make this a very special movie. The making of this film is only the beginning of the tribute these men deserve. An audience to witness it and remember their lives and their sacrifice is the rest.
GRADE: A+
