Lone Survivor is an intense, action-laden war drama that highlights the tragedy and futility of war.
The film tells the true-life tale of four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to hunt down a high-level al-Qaeda operative, but who must first deal with the difficult terrain in the mountains of Afghanistan.
Before reaching their target, the group encounters local villagers and is faced with the difficult decision—to set them free and have their position revealed, or murder a group of innocents.
Eventually they find themselves face to face with their enemy. Heavily outnumbered, a battle breaks out through the perilous landscape. It’s bloody, and it’s chilling.
The vulnerability and the sacrifice of these men is the element that comes to the fore, throughout the relentless challenges they face. And the special effects and sound editing brings to life the gory battle in a way that simply cannot be ignored (and is at times difficult to stomach).
Wahlberg and his crew are relatable, making their sacrifice sting with a familiar sense that these could be blokes you know. You get the sense of coming to know the soldiers (including their real-life counterparts via the credits), and these men serve to highlight the real cost of war.
War films, while not my preferred genre, offer a glimpse inside the realities faced every day by young men and women on the front line. It’s a disturbing reality, but one that is well worth being reminded of.
If it makes you feel, you know it’s made well; and Lone Survivor is.
Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Eric Bana
Rating: TBC
Runtime:
Release Date: 20 February
Reviewer rating: 3/5