Underrated Thrilling War Film.

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2016)

Lone Survivor (2013): Dir: Peter Berg / Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch, Eric Bana: Tense and riveting war film about the nightmare that these soldiers embark upon that their training only touches upon in terms of preparation. Based on a true story where four young soldiers are dropped off via helicopter on a rocky forest hillside in Afghanistan. Problem arises when they capture an old goat herder and his two children and decide to let them go. Bad mistake because it opens a hornet nest that has these four soldiers fighting for their lives. We know that only one survives but what director Peter Berg does is briefly detail these soldiers before they are littered with bullets. We hear their faint breathing as life slowly drifts away and reflecting on the reality that the end is upon them. Another plus here is that not all the Taliban is viewed as a villain as our lone survivor discovers in a crucial moment when he is assisted by a father and son who happen upon him after barely surviving the onslaught. Berg has directed good films as with Hancock, and garbage such as the pathetic Very Bad Things. Here he creates his finest film. The performances by Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, and Taylor Kitsch all give credible and convincing work as soldiers confident yet not ready for the reality of war and death. Eric Bana is also featured back at base and struggling to regain communication when all seems lost. It ranks as one of the best war films ever made giving viewers a reason to thank our soldiers for the risks they are never certain to survive. Score: 10 / 10