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As a director, Peter Berg doesn’t have the best of track records. After all, he’s the guy responsible for Will Smith’s perplexing Hancock and 2012’s bloated blockbuster, Battleship. But, with Lone Survivor, he goes a long way toward redeeming himself.
Lone Survivor was inspired by events that took place during a military operation in Afghanistan in 2008. Four Navy SEALs are sent on a mission to find a notorious Taliban leader, but when they lose communication with their base and their cover is blown by a family of goat herders, they’re forced to make some crucial decisions. Left alone with no backup and no way of getting in touch with their team, they’re forced to face a group of enemy soldiers on their own.
I’ve never been in the middle of a war, but I can imagine that it’s about as disorienting as the action of this tense military thriller. The lengthy action sequences are often a blur of shouts and gunfire, of limbs and weapons, of blood spraying from fresh wounds. In the confusion of it all, it’s hard to tell who’s doing what, who’s okay, and who’s been seriously injured, which only adds to the film’s sense of urgency. It’s often intense and graphic—and if you can sit through the entire film without looking away, you must be made of steel.
At times, though, the film’s disorientation goes a little too far. With their shaggy hair and scruffy beards, it’s often difficult to tell the four men apart. Even a big-name star like Mark Wahlberg can be difficult to recognize behind all the wounds and dirt and facial hair—and that makes it difficult to connect to the individual characters.
Then again, it probably doesn’t help that the characters are minimally developed. While it’s understandable to race through the set-up and get to the action, the character development will leave most viewers wanting to know a little more about these characters, their personalities, and their situation. We see a glimpse of their relationships, their friendships, and their playful yet competitive natures—yet, as it turns out, that’s not really enough to make each of the characters stand out on their own as they continue on their mission.
Still, despite the lack of development, Lone Survivor is a gripping—and sometimes surprising—thriller. And while the outcome is pretty obvious, the story takes some unexpected steps along the way. It may be loaded with violence and death, but it also offers a story of friendship, compassion, and amazing acts of selflessness. And although it isn’t exactly the perfect war movie, the suspense and simplicity of Lone Survivor make it a gritty and emotional look at modern-day warfare.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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