Lone Survivor

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, Eric Bana
Directed by: Peter Berg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama, War
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Four American soldiers undertake a dangerous mission to obtain information about a notorious Taliban leader. When their mission takes a deadly turn, they find themselves pursued by dozens of enemy soldiers and almost no hope of escape.

Review:

Tim: I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed Lone Survivor- this war movie from Peter Berg is an incredible example of a powerful, contemporary story that is told in an effective, entertaining manner. People say that there isn't anything new in Hollywood- that may be true, but people forget about the power of excellent execution. This film doesn't offer a great deal new, but it executes on the story exceptionally well. For that reason, I'd consider Lone Survivor one of the best films of 2013.

One of the best aspects of the film took place in the first twenty minutes. This is something far too many movies completely butcher- character development. We need to identify with and care about the characters on screen. I'm not entirely sure how this film managed to do it, but within a very short amount of time, I completely connected with the main characters. It's hard to do this in a way that doesn't seem cheesy and forced, but this film managed to do it. The four main characters felt like real people to me and I was immediately in their corner. That sets up the rest of the film for success- now, when they are shot at, I'm actually going to care. This is even more impressive when you consider the obvious eventuality that only one of them will live.

The cast was very impressive. I am sometimes a fan of Mark Wahlberg, sometimes I really don't like him. Lately, it seems like he's given a number of good performances, and he delivers one here. He felt believable in this role. He still might not be a great actor, but he did exactly what he needed to do. Taylor Kitsch is another guy who isn't a very good actor, but I thought he worked well in the context of this film. It didn't require great acting from him. He worked well with Wahlberg and I enjoyed their scenes together. Emile Hirsch was a nice addition- the guy does have some talent, but it seems like he hasn't really gotten the right opportunities. This film was a step in the right direction. Ben Foster is a very underrated actor and he brought that quiet strength and effectiveness to this film. I also loved seeing Eric Bana, but I wish he had more to do. As a whole, the cast for this film was quite impressive.

The story is simple but incredibly effective. Four American soldiers are hunted down by dozens and dozens of Taliban fighters and are isolated from the rest of the American military. For all intents and purposes, they are completely alone. This was fascinating to watch- four against fifty, especially when you knew it would not end well for most of them. The scenes in the woods and on the mountains were incredibly well shot- you felt the craziness, the overwhelming odds. Many of the Taliban fighters died, but they just kept coming and coming. All of this is depicted in excellent fashion by Berg. I loved how he did not shy away from showing some brutal moments. Every time the soldiers flung themselves off a mountain, I cringed and wanted to look away. The amount of pain and damage these brave men took is truly astounding. That is all on display in the film. You really felt the amount of danger these soldiers were in. I was riveted watching the film.

While the film is excellent, it does have a few flaws. There were a number of moments in the movie that were so obviously not true-to-life. I get that Hollywood needs to tell an entertaining story, but I wish a little more restraint was shown. For example, there is a scene near the end where the last remaining American kills an enemy with a knife. The way he gets the knife is so obviously a Hollywood invention that I laughed out loud. I immediately said, "There is no way that actually happened." I did a little research, and lo and behold, the author of the book commented that the knife scene was completely fabricated. The scene didn't add anything to the film- it just took away from the realism. There were a few other moments like that, which were just needless.

Sure, there are a few flaws, but as a whole, Lone Survivor is one of the best made movies of 2013. It tells a simple story but it tells it in brilliant fashion. It's a contemporary story that really makes you think about what our American soldiers faced in Afghanistan. I loved the movie and would easily consider it in my top 10 of the year.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



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