Passionate, immersive and moving.

Rating: Null/10 (21 February 2014)

In 2012's Act of Valor, current serving Navy SEALs were cast in order to inject realism into the action scenes, which they did, however the film couldn't overcome the dire acting and leaden dialogue to land out on top. With a group of dedicated A-listers undergoing an intensive boot camp before production, Lone Survivor proves that it's easier for professional actors to look the part in combat than it is for real soldiers to sprout a screenwriter's words. As the four- man team sent into the hills of Afghanistan to kill or capture an integral Taliban leader – which doesn't go as planned – Mark Whalberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster are fantastic. Their convincing portrayals and natural chemistry with each other ensures the audience has an immediate investment into their fates and makes the series of unfortunate events on their mission even more gruelling and gut-wrenching to witness. Writer-director Peter Berg has spoken about how this was a passion project for him (he took a pay cut on Universal's Battleship to get funding from the studio for this) and he proudly wears his patriotic devotion on his sleeve every step of the way. The opening act is relaxed, calm and humorous, slowly building a sense of camaraderie whilst introducing the military jargon and operational lifestyle. The extended middle act, where the bulk of the battle ensues, is a tour de force in modern warfare filmmaking. The meticulously researched gunfight is authentic and pulse-racing, amped up with tight, clear editing and an immersive sound design (unsurprisingly garnering an Oscar nod) that places you right in the middle of the action. Berg makes a crucial misstep with a dragged out, patience-testing denouement, but Lone Survivor remains in the higher echelon of war pictures and warrants a big screen viewing.