A true story recounted with compelling graphic depiction

Rating: Null/10 (28 February 2014)

Not counting this one, out of the last 10 movies I watched, 7 are based on true stories. This is clearly the norm these days. "Lone survivor" stand out, not while you are watching, but at the end, when you see real photos and videos of the people in the movie (three of them killed). The uncanny resemblance of the actors with the real people reflects a good casting job. The important thing though is that seeing these images added considerably to the meaning of the movie.
This is "Operation Red Wings" in June 2005 in which 4 SEALs took up a mission in the Afghanistan Hindu Kush mountains to take out a Taliban leader. The mission ended in terrible tragedy, with not only 3 people of the team killed, but a devastating addition to the casualty toll when a supporting helicopter crashed after being hit by anti-tank artillery.
This gritty account does not play with spoiler teasers. The opening scene showing a blood-drenched SEAL Marcus Luttrell (Mark Walhberg) being rushed from a landing helicopter to the operation room neatly removes the titular suspense. Freed from the spoiler effect, the audience is prepared for going through this harrowing experience almost first-hand, with our protagonist.
A few significant things emerged. First, in my technology-ignorance, I find it hard to believe that in the day and age when a satellite camera can see me in the privacy of my own home (even by bending around a solid angle of obstacle, I'm told), the protagonist in open air experiences failure to establish contact with mission base which was one factor causing the tragedy. The key reason, however, is a moral issue. When accidentally stumbled across (literally) by civilians (including both a child and an old man), the protagonist find themselves in a debate (not philosophical but rather pragmatic) on whether to disregard terms of engagement and "terminate" these threats or let them go free thereby endangering their own lives. Finally, the thing that touched me most is that our lone survivor is miraculously found and harboured by friendly villages who, following their long-established moral code, goes all the way in protecting a helpless "guest" to the extent of risking annihilation by the Taliban. Mark Walhberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch deliver a solid performance in losing themselves into the characters (real individuals, in this case) they portray. Eric Banner's role as the commander at mission base is a little more than a cameo, but not much so.