A realistic depiction of modern combat, with a little flag-waving on the side

Rating: 8/10 (14 November 2014)

LONE SURVIVOR is an incredible experience: a tale of bravery and camaraderie, and one of the most realistic depictions of war that I've ever seen. The story is about Operation Red Wings and takes place during the (still-ongoing) Afghanistan War. Mark Wahlberg plays Marcus Luttrell, a Navy Seal Petty Officer who was the lone survivor of the mission. Early on, the movie establishes the characters and gives the audience a sense of who they are, although it doesn't really delve too much. However, it gives enough of a baseline so that when the fighting ensues you care when they're injured and killed. If there was one area where the movie doesn't quite stand up to scrutiny, it's that they could have had some more character development. Still, that's not quite the reason for this movie. It's mostly about the intense firefight that Luttrell and his three other team members enter into when their op is compromised. And it sure was intense and brutal. It was filmed in a way to maximize the visceral nature of the experience and, while occasionally chaotic, was still comprehensible. There was also a lot of well-done special effects with injuries, kill-shots, etc. Here, the filmmakers did a great job putting you in the moment and making you feel the pain these soldiers went through. Overall, I liked the movie which, while never questioning American involvement in the region, does differentiate between friendly Afghanis and the Taliban. There was a touching moment towards the end between Luttrell and a young Afghani boy that was quite moving. Also, before the end credits they have a slide show of the actual people involved in the operation, which I thought was a fitting tribute to their sacrifice. Is it the greatest war movie ever? No, but it is very effective at what it sets out to do, and I applaud it for that.