Lone Survivor
Directed by: Peter Berg
Written by: Peter Berg, based on the book by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robsinson
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Eric Bana, Yousuf Azami, Alexander Ludwig, Jerry Ferrara
Action/Biography/Drama/Thriller/War - 121 min
Written by: Peter Berg, based on the book by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robsinson
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Eric Bana, Yousuf Azami, Alexander Ludwig, Jerry Ferrara
Action/Biography/Drama/Thriller/War - 121 min
Navy Lieutenant and SEAL Michael Murphy is famous in military circles for his actions during 2005’s Operation RED WINGS in Afghanistan. If you are unfamiliar with the story, I will do my best not to spoil it for you. Adapted from the 2007 book of the same name, Lone Survivor does an outstanding job introducing us to a small four-man SEAL team, stepping us through their mission, and the follow-on consequences that befall them after a key decision. Whether or not you know the story, Lone Survivor is one of the best films of 2013.
Director Peter Berg read Lone Survivor in 2008 while filming Hancock. Raising his hand to adapt it for the screen, Universal Pictures asked him to make 2012’s Battleship instead. Notice the studio’s priorities here. Battleship is a gargantuan, sci-fi, 3D, based on a board game turkey of a movie. Lone Survivor is a close to accurate portrayal of a real-life battle in a war that is still on-going and shows off an awards caliber script and acting to match. Yes, Battleship raked in a half billion dollars but how many people remember anything about it other than it was that one movie Rihanna was in? Lone Survivor will not come close to those box office numbers, but its audience will not forget it either. Where Battleship has corporate sponsorship and gee-whiz gimmicks, Lone Survivor has soul.
The soul consists of the film’s four core characters. Lt. Murphy (Taylor Kitsch) leads the team into remote Afghan mountains to capture a Taliban leader. At his side are Marcus Luttrell, a hospital corpsman (Mark Wahlberg), radio man Danny Dietz (Emilie Hirsch), and sonar technician Matt ‘Axe’ Axelson (Ben Foster). After a brief intro to the team back at home base with scenes showcasing their camaraderie and Esprit de Corps as Navy SEALs, the guys enter the mission’s serious planning phase, and then in short order are dropped into the Afghan backcountry to track their prey.
The Taliban target is beside the point for the script. The film’s crux hinges on the dilemma that falls into the team’s lap; goat herders stumble upon their hideout. The SEALs quickly subdue them and discuss the ins and outs of what to do with them. From the previews, we all know they do the right thing and cut them loose even though every member of the team knows what will happen soon enough, the Taliban are going to pursue them and they will be outnumbered, outgunned, and due to the mountainous terrain, they will be out of contact to call for reinforcements.
The Taliban know the terrain. They know the mountain, the trees, the hiding spots, and how to move fast over ground that is tough for even the toughest SEAL. The film’s second half is the action. These close quarters, sometime hand-to-hand combat scenes are the most intense action sequences since Saving Private Ryan. The sound of crunching bodies and bones falling down a boulder-strewn hillside, the ricochet of bullets, and the gut and grit it takes to keep going on in the face of insurmountable odds both engages the audience and makes them shield their eyes at points. There will be audible groans from around you when our soldiers fall back down the side of a steep ridgeline.
More is going on in Lone Survivor than just following the isolated SEAL team. This includes their leadership back at the base led by their commanding officer, Lt Col Erik Kristensen (Eric Bana), and some unexpected helpers later on but these additions are more supporting efforts to alleviate some of the tension building up in the main battle. Superior camera work, make-up, and acting all contribute to the most high-powered and nervous time you will have in a theater in a long time. The stand out among the group is Ben Foster. Ever since his breakout role in 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma, he usually delivers an unexpected and alternate approach to his characters. His portrayal of Axe is no different. Each team member has their own identity and distinct characteristics, but you will remember Axe clearer and for a longer time than the other guys.
Lone Survivor is not strategic level warfare as so many World War II films that you recall. This is tactical, in your face, mud and sweat-mixed exhaustion. There is no Act of Valor propaganda on display. Even though there is an opening montage of actual Navy SEAL training, nobody expects a movie-goer to walk out of the theater and want to sign on the dotted line to do his/her part. Lone Survivor is also neither pro- nor anti-war. It is solely about the battle itself. Issues on how and why U.S. soldiers are engaged in this part of the world are not addressed. The focus is narrow, the focus is on the team, and this soda straw focus will stay with you for a long time.
Director Peter Berg read Lone Survivor in 2008 while filming Hancock. Raising his hand to adapt it for the screen, Universal Pictures asked him to make 2012’s Battleship instead. Notice the studio’s priorities here. Battleship is a gargantuan, sci-fi, 3D, based on a board game turkey of a movie. Lone Survivor is a close to accurate portrayal of a real-life battle in a war that is still on-going and shows off an awards caliber script and acting to match. Yes, Battleship raked in a half billion dollars but how many people remember anything about it other than it was that one movie Rihanna was in? Lone Survivor will not come close to those box office numbers, but its audience will not forget it either. Where Battleship has corporate sponsorship and gee-whiz gimmicks, Lone Survivor has soul.
The soul consists of the film’s four core characters. Lt. Murphy (Taylor Kitsch) leads the team into remote Afghan mountains to capture a Taliban leader. At his side are Marcus Luttrell, a hospital corpsman (Mark Wahlberg), radio man Danny Dietz (Emilie Hirsch), and sonar technician Matt ‘Axe’ Axelson (Ben Foster). After a brief intro to the team back at home base with scenes showcasing their camaraderie and Esprit de Corps as Navy SEALs, the guys enter the mission’s serious planning phase, and then in short order are dropped into the Afghan backcountry to track their prey.
The Taliban target is beside the point for the script. The film’s crux hinges on the dilemma that falls into the team’s lap; goat herders stumble upon their hideout. The SEALs quickly subdue them and discuss the ins and outs of what to do with them. From the previews, we all know they do the right thing and cut them loose even though every member of the team knows what will happen soon enough, the Taliban are going to pursue them and they will be outnumbered, outgunned, and due to the mountainous terrain, they will be out of contact to call for reinforcements.
The Taliban know the terrain. They know the mountain, the trees, the hiding spots, and how to move fast over ground that is tough for even the toughest SEAL. The film’s second half is the action. These close quarters, sometime hand-to-hand combat scenes are the most intense action sequences since Saving Private Ryan. The sound of crunching bodies and bones falling down a boulder-strewn hillside, the ricochet of bullets, and the gut and grit it takes to keep going on in the face of insurmountable odds both engages the audience and makes them shield their eyes at points. There will be audible groans from around you when our soldiers fall back down the side of a steep ridgeline.
More is going on in Lone Survivor than just following the isolated SEAL team. This includes their leadership back at the base led by their commanding officer, Lt Col Erik Kristensen (Eric Bana), and some unexpected helpers later on but these additions are more supporting efforts to alleviate some of the tension building up in the main battle. Superior camera work, make-up, and acting all contribute to the most high-powered and nervous time you will have in a theater in a long time. The stand out among the group is Ben Foster. Ever since his breakout role in 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma, he usually delivers an unexpected and alternate approach to his characters. His portrayal of Axe is no different. Each team member has their own identity and distinct characteristics, but you will remember Axe clearer and for a longer time than the other guys.
Lone Survivor is not strategic level warfare as so many World War II films that you recall. This is tactical, in your face, mud and sweat-mixed exhaustion. There is no Act of Valor propaganda on display. Even though there is an opening montage of actual Navy SEAL training, nobody expects a movie-goer to walk out of the theater and want to sign on the dotted line to do his/her part. Lone Survivor is also neither pro- nor anti-war. It is solely about the battle itself. Issues on how and why U.S. soldiers are engaged in this part of the world are not addressed. The focus is narrow, the focus is on the team, and this soda straw focus will stay with you for a long time.
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