Modest Yet Unbending, Epic Yet Tragic, Authentic Yet Larger Than Life

Rating: 10/10 (10 January 2015)

When young Shane Patton (Alexander Ludwig) is being initiated as a SEAL, he has to recite a long monologue full of bluster and doggerel basically saying he is the ultimate fighting man. Instead of shouting the speech, however, he recites the lines thoughtfully, as if he's examining his own conscience as much as trying to find a place in the pecking order.
Bear in mind that this is a minor character, and that most of this speech is background for basic visuals of the heroes preparing for combat. But the tone is set for a modern American epic that is as timeless as the Iliad and as relevant as today's headlines, a motion picture that is extraordinary, complex, and moving.
I've been a fan of Mark Wahlberg ever since THE BASKETBALL DIARIES. There's no one else as authentic or intense as he is. Whether he's playing the very worst of human beings (a teenage junkie killer) or the very best of American heroes (Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell) he is always uncompromising and gives one hundred percent as an actor. Which is not to say that he can't be funny, playful, or charming, sometimes most unexpectedly so. But he is always authentic in every role he plays.
This movie explores a classic military scenario, as old as Thermopylae or the Alamo. What happens when the greatest and most professional warriors of their age are hopelessly outnumbered and face certain death? This is not when they fade away. This is when they become who they are.
It's impossible to say too much in praise of Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, and Mark Wahlberg, not to mention newcomers like Alexander Ludwig and the ever-reliable Eric Bana. Not one of them fails the task. They became the heroes they portrayed in this movie. What makes the movie shocking is not how real the violence is, but how real the bond between these men is even in the most casual and amusing moments, and how they remain loyal comrades even when death is only moments away. Every single performance is powerful and authentic, and the effect is not merely inspiring or patriotic but poignant and meaningful.