Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Lone Survivor Review

Rated R (Strong Bloody War Violence and Pervasive Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 1 Minute

Cast-
Mark Wahlberg-SO2 Marcus Luttrell
Taylor Kitsch-Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy
Emile Hirsch-SO2 Danny Dietz
Ben Foster-SO2 Matthew 'Axe' Axelson
Eric Bana-Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen
Alexander Ludwig-SO2 Shane Patton
Yousuf Azami-Ahmad Shah
Sammy Sheik-Taraq
Ali Suliman-Muhammad Gulab

Directed by Peter Berg

Peter Berg's directs "Lone Survivor," a harrowing account of a failed 2005 military mission in Afghanistan.
Note: Screened on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at AMC Loews 34th Street 14.

With over seventeen million copies sold worldwide since its release in 2007, "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" not only popularized the modern military shooter genre but also came to define it, leading to a new trend in the video game industry as developers scrambled to emulate its success. Despite the ultra-realism of its setting, the "Call of Duty" series—along with its equally-popular competitor "Battlefield"—will never approach the horrors of being in a real war. When you're surrounded by the enemy and suffering from numerous bullet wounds, every second becomes a struggle for survival. I won't sit here and pretend to know what it feels like to be an American soldier (because I don't) but what I can do is appreciate their courage, their determination, and most importantly, their sacrifice. Even if you don't approve of the concept of war, the fact remains that men and women voluntarily put their lives on the line everyday just so people like you and me don't have to. Peter Berg understands this and it's clear that the director has a deep and earnest respect for the American military as exemplified in his latest film "Lone Survivor," based on Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson's 2007 non-fiction book of the same name. It's easy to write off "Lone Survivor" as another throwaway jingoistic affair but this gut-wrenchingly brutal and harrowing account of a failed 2005 military operation in Afghanistan treats its subject matter with the respect and seriousness it deserves while also honoring the dedication and sacrifice of SEAL Team 10. It's a shame that the film will likely be buried among other would-be awards contenders.

Stationed in Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan in the summer of 2005, Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy (Taylor Kitsch) and his fellow SEAL Team 10 members—Special Warfare Operators Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch), and Matthew 'Axe' Axelson (Ben Foster)—bond over their shared confusion with their significant others, with Murphy's fiancĂ© wanting an Arabian horse as a wedding present and Dietz's wife redecorating the house in his absence. Their arguments over colored kitchen tiles and the cost of Arabian horses are cut short when Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen (Eric Bana) informs them that 'Operation Red Wings' is now in effect. During the mission briefing, Kristensen discloses to the SEALs in attendance that their target is Ahmad Shah (Yousuf Azami), a senior member of the Taliban who is responsible for killing twenty Marines. The objectives are to positively ID Shah and take him out along with his right-hand man Taraq (Sammy Sheik). To provide reconnaissance, Murphy, Luttrell, Dietz, and Axelson are deployed in the Hindu Kush region under cover of darkness. Using the rough terrain to camouflage their movements, the recon team—dubbed 'Spartan 01'—tries to get a bird's eye view of the Taliban leader's village but is discovered by three passing goat shepherds. With the mission now compromised, the four SEALs debate whether they should let the shepherds go or terminate them, with Axelson strongly favoring the latter. After a few minutes of arguing, Murphy steps in and says that they're going to let the shepherds go (since one of them is just a child) and radio for an extraction. Hiking toward a nearby peak to get a better signal, the recon team is soon attacked by a large contingent of Taliban soldiers, locking the four SEALs in a desperate struggle for survival.

At first glance, "Lone Survivor" looks like another throwaway war film that blindly glorifies the actions of the American military. The presence of Peter Berg didn't fill me with confidence either since the director was responsible for the horrible 2012 sci-fi blockbuster "Battleship" (yes, based on the Hasbro/Milton Bradley board game). Well, it turns out that Berg had to agree to helm that film first in order to get Universal to fund "Lone Survivor," which had been a long-time passion project of his ever since he read Luttrell and Robinson's book while shooting the superhero action comedy "Hancock" in 2007. Although the book covers Luttrell's childhood as well as his 1999 enlistment and training, Berg wisely choose to limit the film's focus to SEAL Team 10's disastrous mission 'Operation Red Wings.' Launching with a montage of documentary footage that show a group of recruits being put through the gauntlet—both physically and mentally—when they sign up for SEAL training, the opening credits in "Lone Survivor" reminds viewers that although it takes a special kind of person to be a Navy SEAL, at the end of the day they're just as human as you and me. Beyond their careers as soldiers, these men are husbands, fathers, lovers, and more importantly, best friends. Berg, who also wrote the script, doesn't spend too much time on characterization, choosing to develop Murphy, Luttrell, Dietz, and Axelson in broad strokes. This would be a detriment in any other film but when it comes to stories of survival, it's best to keep things simple and allow the characters to develop through the hardships they face.

Using the word 'hardships' doesn't even begin to describe what the recon team went through in Afghanistan. Deployed in the Hindu Kush region in the dead of night, the four SEALs make their way toward a mountain called 'Sawtalo Sar,' which overlooks a village where the Taliban leader Shah is suspected to be. Although they manage to positively ID him, their mission ends up being compromised when three goat shepherds inadvertently discover them. What follows is a tense argument with no easy outcome. Killing the shepherds will not only put a black mark on their conscience but also lead to them being crucified by the media. Letting them go means potentially alerting the Taliban to their whereabouts. It would be easy for Berg to slip into gung-ho jingoism and blame the 'liberal media' for insisting that soldiers should strictly adhere to the 'rules of engagement' (as Luttrell does in his book) but the director sensibly avoids falling into this trap and instead shows that either way, the mission was doomed. At the time, the recon team was faced with communication problems, with their radio unable to receive any signal, and worse, they were in unknown territory. It's a small detail but notice how the Afghan teen quickly leaps down a steep hill despite the rocky terrain? Meanwhile, Axelson clumsily trips over a rock and sprains his ankle. No matter how good their training was, the four SEALs were at a disadvantage from the beginning as they lacked the Taliban's familiarity with the environment.

Once the bullets start flying, "Lone Survivor" turns into an action picture but the nearly-forty minute sequence isn't designed to entertain; it's to put you through the same hell that these four men experienced while they were beset on all sides by Taliban soldiers. Tautly paced, Berg makes you feel the agony of bullets tearing through flesh but the cruelest moment is when the team is forced to seek cover by hurling themselves downhill…twice! It's a grueling scene, with every bone-crunching scrape registering with tremendous impact thanks to the excellent sound effects work from David Brownlow. The ghastly prosthetics from Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero will make even the hardiest individuals wince and shows that whatever problems you have, they're nothing compared to the ones that soldiers face, day in and day out. While there's no real stand-out amongst the performances as the script demands that the four actors behave as a single unit, Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, and Ben Foster embody their roles with genuine sincerity, with Eric Bana providing a familiar face. If there's any real flaw with Berg's film, it's the title and poster, which makes it explicitly clear that Wahlberg's character is the only one who survives. How he survives will come as a surprise to viewers unfamiliar with the true story it's based on but suffice to say, it validates Murphy's decision to let the goat shepherds go free. Variety's Justin Chang says it best when he writes about 'the power of individual acts of conscience amid the moral murkiness of war.' It's a strong reminder for everyone to never judge an entire people based on the actions of a militant few.

Hoping to gain awards traction, "Lone Survivor" was given a limited release on Christmas Day and is currently set to go wide on January 10, 2014. To my dismay, reviews have been lukewarm so far with 65% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that 'while it may deliver its messages of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice a tad heavy-handedly, [the film] finds writer/director Peter Berg wielding enough visceral power to mitigate many of [its] jingoistic flaws.' I have to disagree with that last part because Berg's film is the complete opposite of jingoistic. He's not blindly glorifying the American military as some critics are saying; instead he's honoring their actions and giving a voice to those who don't have one anymore. There are no politics or overblown heroics here, only men who were willing to give their very lives to see the job done. Whether it's going to be a major awards contender or not, Peter Berg should be extremely proud of the film he's made as "Lone Survivor" is patriotic, respectful, and honors those that were lost in 'Operation Red Wings' without resorting to cheap flag-waving theatrics. Mr. Berg, I not only forgive you for "Battleship" but also deem your film among the very best of 2013.

Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5

"There's a storm inside of us. I've heard many team guys speak of this. A burning. A river. A drive. An unrelenting desire to push yourself harder and further than anyone could think possible. Pushing ourselves into those dark cold corners. Where the bad things live. Where the bad things fight. We wanted that fight at the highest volume. The loud fight. The loudest, coldest, hottest, most unpleasant of the unpleasant fights."