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 fiancé 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."
Posts
