Great film with a dreadful opening scene that lets it down

Rating: 8/10 (6 May 2018)

When a film begins with how it ends there has to be a damn good reason for it to have done so. The best way to use it is like 'The Hangover' did, where it implies something, sets up the story and also sets up the mystery. 'The Hangover' used it perfectly, 'Lone Survivor' used it very poorly and it is one of the few faults I could find with this movie. The reason it was a problem? Because it takes away the suspense from a number of scenes that would occur later on. If someone could explain to me a valid reason they chose to put it there I would happily listen. Until then though I think it was major mistake.
That negative aside though, this is pretty fantastic film. It holds nothing back. For a 'True Story' it is particularly brutal and some of the imagery is quite shocking to watch. It was filmed immensely well and did a great job of putting you in the character's predicament. The best thing the film has going for it is that almost every character feels vulnerable. It feels like anything could happen at any time (and it often does). It is unrelenting in that sense. There is a lot to like here and this is certainly a must-see if you haven't already.