By Jeremy Hannaford (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: January 22, 2014
Lone Survivor offers one of the most intense narratives I have experienced in years. Not since Black Hawk Down or Saving Private Ryan has a film been so engrossing with its characters and their war-defined obstacles. But with that intensity comes a propagated view of “evil” Taliban and more-than-human Navy SEALS. It results in, from one point of view, a respectful retelling, and from another an overblown sense of American valour.
Based on the failed Operation Red Wings in 2005, recounted in the best-selling book of the same name by Marcus Luttrell, Lone Survivor follows four members of SEAL team 10 as they are thrust into fierce combat from which Luttrell — played by Mark Walhberg — was the only survivor. That sense of commitment and sacrifice is shown within the opening moments of the film as clips of Navy SEAL hopefuls trudging through the vigorous training regime. The sense of patriotism is overpowering, and it’ll either dig deep into your heart or your stomach.
Aside from Walhberg, the cast is comprised of Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, and Taylor Kitsch, who portray their characters with prowess. From intense conversations with Luttrell to undergoing intense training, each actor gives his greatest respect the real-life counterparts they play. The beginning of the operation is detailed with the same attention as other great modern combat films like Black Hawk Down or Zero Dark Thirty. All the while, that ever-repeating theme of patriotism comes off the screen.
Director Peter Berg doesn’t just wish to show how badass the U.S. military is — he also asks the audience an incredibly difficult question. What causes the entire mission to go awry is when the team is discovered by goat farmers whom they suspect might be Taliban. The film not only shows the team’s deliberation — whether to let them go or to kill them — but also poses it to the audience. What are the lengths you would go to keep your friends alive?
Despite the outcome given in the title, the next 40 minutes go down as difficult and intense. The pain and agony suffered by these men as they somehow keep fighting can seem over-dramatic, but after consulting with Luttrell’s book, it is true to his account. Continuing to fight for their lives despite having been shot multiple times, jumping down a mountain more than twice, and having fingers blown off is heartbreaking to watch. As they begin to fall, each death is a blow straight to the gut.
However there is a moment where the drama breaks into the absurd. When one of the soldiers falls and lies dying on the mountain, he is disrespectfully looted of his possessions including his wedding ring. This is where the film turns into a ‘80s single-minded action flick where the antagonists are nothing but heartless oppressors. This scene disrespects the final moments of the soldier’s life and Berg loses the tone he had going for the film. Had they stayed true to the real events, this film would have been a monumental war film.
The final moments of the main conflict are harrowing and end in blood and tears. Lone Survivor’s climax, while performed admirably, doesn’t exceed the movie’s middle point. But it isn’t meant to. Everything after that conflict acts as the resolution. We see Marcus’s continuing will to survive despite having just watched his three friends die.
After the screen goes black and the audience is given a minute to breathe, the screen’s subjects are once again showered with American patriotism. We are given pictures and clips of fallen soldiers while Peter Gabriel’s “Heroes” plays in the background. Berg wants you to cry freedom tears, while framing it as showing respect.
Lone Survivor is meant as a testament to these fallen soldiers who, despite insurmountable odds, stayed united to the very end. Lone Survivor is by far Peter Berg’s best film and certainly helps his reputation after making Battleship. While the amount of American patriotism may deter some film-goers, the loyalty and respect of this film is real and unignorable.
