One of the most brutal and realistic combat pictures ever made in recent memory.

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2014)

On the summer of 2012, director Peter Berg faced harsh criticism when his big-budget sci-fi action blockbuster, BATTLESHIP, flopped big time at the box office. But thankfully, Berg manages to bounce back with this impressive combat picture, LONE SURVIVOR -- easily one of his best directing efforts to date.
WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?
Based on a failed "Operation Red Wings" mission which takes place on June 28, 2005, a four-man Navy SEALs team -- Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Michael P. Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Matthew Axelson (Ben Foster) and Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch) -- are sent into the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan to apprehend Taliban commander Ahmad Shah (Yousuf Azami). However, their mission is compromised when they stumble upon local goat herders. Facing a dilemma whether to kill them or to let them go, they choose the latter option -- a ill-fated decision that soon cost them dearly.
THE GOOD STUFF
Kudos goes to Peter Berg for his well-paced direction throughout the two hours of this movie. He starts off with a strong setup that introduces all four main characters, sustaining the momentum, and finally hits full button with some of the most gruelling combat sequences ever staged in a war genre. Here, he doesn't skimp on the violence as well as the harsh reality of a war combat. In fact, the sequence is so intensely choreographed that you could almost feel all the pain (especially the scene where they rolled down the rocks and injured their bodies in the process) that these four main characters have to endure.
All four main actors give believable and solid performances. But it was Mark Wahlberg who excels the most as the last standing soldier (hence the title).
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT(S)
The extended combat sequence between the four-man Navy SEALs team and an army of Taliban fighters.
THE BAD STUFF
If there's any flaw in this movie, it's Eric Bana. For such an established actor of his calibre, his performance as Lt. Commander Erik S. Kristensen is sadly reduced into thankless role.
FINAL WORDS
LONE SURVIVOR is definitely not for the squeamish. However, those who can stomach the unflinching act of violence, will be rewarded with one of the best post-9/11 war pictures ever made in years.
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