The title is a spoiler. imdb.com
Welcome to what I hope will be an occasional feature. I see a ton of movies and sometimes they relate to the subject of this blog so i might as well write up some short reviews. I'll try to keep it spoiler free even if the movie came out awhile ago. This weekend i watched 2013's Lone Survivor. It was based on the 2007 book by the same name, written by Marcus Luttrell, the titular lone survivor of the battle. It's the story of Operation Red Wings (sometimes incorrectly spelled, depending on the source, Redwings or Redwing), a battle that took place in Afghanistan in 2005. Mark Walhburg plays Luttrell, a Navy Seal on a reconnaissance mission to locate and kill a Taliban commander. Even if you know nothing about the battle itself, you can tell from the title that things did not go well.
So what did I think about it? Well I read the book a few months ago so I already knew what happened. I also remember following the story when it first happened all the way back in 2005 as well. Still, even knowing what happened before the film started it was still powerful and hit me in the guts like a punch. There are some fairly emotional scenes and the acting was pretty damn good. Mark Walhburg at first glance seems to be a bit miscast since he's way shorter then the very tall Marcus Luttrell and didn't even bother with the Texas accent, but his acting was spot on. The rest of the actors were pretty good too, with Erik Bana in a supporting role. I really like the guy who played Axe.
The action was superb, if a bit gory. Warfare isn't pretty and this movie doesn't try to make it anything it's not. There are some definite moments of cringe though, so those with weak stomachs might want to pass. The actors actually looked like they knew what they were doing as soldiers and the battles were intense. There were a few scenes that I might have thought were over the top but according to the book they actually happened. Minor spoiler, but yes folks the part where the Navy Seals jumped off a mountain to escape, multiple times, really did happen.
Still I do have some criticism for the film. At the end of the movie there is a climatic battle that as far as I can tell didn't happen in real life. I understand why they did it, the real story ended with a whimper and not a bang and they needed a dramatic battle to close out the movie. It just took me out of the film since I read the book and the battle did not happen there. I know there is always going to be artistic license in films based on real life events, which is why I am not complaining about the other minor differences from the book, but it was a bit over the top for my tastes. They also didn't adequately explain the reason why the villagers did what they did. There was a blurb before the credits, but if you miss it or aren't up to speed on the people of Afghanistan you might be confused.
These are minor complaints though. Overall the movie was excellent. I recommend it to anyone who has even a passing interest in military history or action movies. It's right up there with movies like Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers. Watch it and then read the book. Both are excellent.
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