On June 28th, 2005, SEAL Team 10 was tasked with a mission to capture, or even kill, Taliban leader Ahmad Shahd. During this mission, they were sorely compromised, and after a tough decision, the team had to fend off an army of Taliban that only left one survivor, Marcus Luttrell. As you have no doubt guessed, that is the character Mark Wahlberg plays.
Talk about an intense war thriller. I don’t know how these men endure the strenuous task of becoming a NAVY SEAL. The film opens up to a nice homage to becoming a SEAL, and you get a sense of what the men go through to become one. They use real footage, which gave the flick more credibility for trying to tell this story. I enjoyed Lone Survivor, simply because you get a graphic telling of what these men can go through.
The movie starts out by giving us some slight character development. There is really only so much you can give, but the story tries its best. Same cliche stories that involve a loving girlfriend or wife back home, but only Mark Wahlberg’s character didn’t have anyone to go home to. They do try to add a little humor with the dialogue of the men, but sometimes, it just didn’t work for me. Once the mission got underway, the flick truly starts to shine. The intensity grows and grows, and you are pretty much left biting your nails through the rest of the movie. Obviously we know that Wahlberg’s character is the only one that makes it out alive, but similar to Argo, you are engrossed within the story even though you know the outcome.
Some of the movie is of course “Hollywoodized”, but that just comes with the territory of tackling a real event. You really see why these men who become SEALs, have to endure the unbearable training. They have to become machines, because when the gunfire begins…no room for cry babies. I would be a cry baby for sure.
I highly suggest checking out Lone Survivor, if you are up for a well made war flick. It can get pretty graphic at times, but that is just what works for it. Check out my video review below if you want to, and let me know if you guys have seen it.
That is a movie I’m looking forward to watching. Biographies were the first books I read. Thanks for reminding me of some of my best childhood memories. Happy 2014 and congrats on 200 posts–that’s a great accomplishment.