In a word - superb!

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2014)

I saw a trailer for Lone Survivor and thought "I do want to see that". Well, one thing led to another, long story short, I missed it at the cinema and had to wait until it was released on Blu-ray. While I waited for the Blu-ray release I had time to find out some more about the story behind the movie and I was very surprised. Operation Redwings was a covert mission to locate and eliminate a high level Taliban asset which required the use of U.S special forces, namely Navy SEALs. The mission on paper was rather simple, insertion, locate target, eliminate target and then extraction. We've seen before that even the best of plans can be thrown into turmoil by the simplest of things and Operation Redwing was no exception. What was meant to be a relatively straightforward mission descended into a real fight for survival which would seriously test the resolve of the soldiers embroiled within it.
I knew this movie was helmed by Peter Berg, while I enjoyed The Kingdom,I thought Hancock and Battleship were both very average indeed and I really hoped that this film followed in the footsteps of The Kingdom in terms of grittiness and action, thankfully Berg has done just this. As I'm sure you've gathered the plot for the movie is simple, Berg has amassed great acting talent: Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Luttrell, Taylor Kitsch as Michael Murphy, Emile Hirsch as Danny Dietz, Ben Foster as Matt Axelson and Eric Bana as the unit commander Erik Kristensen, all of whom have the necessary gravitas and screen presence to grab and maintain the audiences attention. Berg has also clearly had good levels of participation from the military and ex-members of the special forces community to make the actors and the story as authentic as possible, as a result of their efforts, you don't have any issues believing the cast in their roles - crucial for a film of this type. Berg lets the tension build and build and build, as time passes you do have a sense of impending doom hanging over you as you agonisingly watch the leads try to get themselves out of the deep trouble they have found themselves in. As an audience member you will them on, want them to make it, want them to win, even though the writing is well and truly on the wall. At times salvation is so close, but then cruelly snatched away leaving you as an audience member drained. Berg keeps turning the screw right til the bitter end whereby the audience finally gets a pay off in an impressive action sequence. From such a simple premise Berg really has made a film which surpasses The Kingdom in terms of its grittiness, action and tension, something for which he rightly deserves praise.
You'll infer from what I've written that I enjoyed this movie - I really did! This movie for me soundly demonstrated the will, strength and dedication of those who serve within the armed forces. It made me want to know more, more about the operation, more about those who served, more about those who didn't make it and why this event happened. There are some who have complained this movie is nothing more than a flag waving recruitment film for the military. It isn't. This movie shows war for what it is, brutal and uncompromising it also shows that even when things are at their darkest, there is always hope and salvation and it doesn't always come from where you'd expect.