Very well made movie with a couple of quibbles that I will not bring up

Rating: 8/10 (21 January 2014)

I've always had a lively interest in combat. I've even cornered those who have seen it in person to get a better handle on it. After much contemplation, and a stint in the Army that did not involve combat, I've come to a rough, but accurate, notion of its reality, only to have it all superseded in one fell swoop by this brilliant movie.
My wife doesn't like war movies, and I, therefore, had to offer to see it by myself. At the last minute she changed her mind and we both went. I feared she would spend most of the movie turning away but that didn't happen though there are some harrowing scenes that she disliked. I had explained that the story was essentially revealed on '60 Minutes' and was able to prepare her a bit. However, the story as told on that TV magazine was only a sketch. In the end she appreciated the movie and the adherence to duty depicted in it and that's as much as I can ask for.
The story is about a small group of Navy Seals tasked with abducting or killing an Afghani who was a Taliban leader with many American deaths to his credit. Their intelligence wrongly informs them that the small village in which the target has been spotted has only about 10 soldiers. In fact the number is quite a bit larger. We follow the mission from its insertion to its bloody end but not once does this movie fall into an excess of movie pyrotechnics to make its point.
Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and the others all honor the men they're portraying by not over-doing it and staying real. But it's probably the director that deserves the most credit. Peter Berg does what I've always wanted to do, create a highly accurate picture in my mind of a single battle in all its inglorious mess. I was particularly happy to see and hear how they handled the bullets flying around. There's no sign of Clint Eastwood shooting a cigarette out of an opponents mouth. It's more like an evil shower of deadly metal.
I could visualize myself there in the firefight having to force myself forward and that is something every war movie I've ever seen has dearly wanted to achieve. I don't know about others but this is the only one that's done it for me and I highly recommend it. It's an education you'll not soon forget.