Few films can mix wholehearted investment and endearing characters without ruining the integrity of the story. Peter Berg’s film adaptation of the Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson first hand account, “Lone Survivor,” has raised the bar of war-films through the depiction of the characters and honesty of the storyline.
The tale follows Marcus Luttrell, played by Academy Award-nominated Mark Wahlberg, and his three Navy SEAL cohorts on their final descent on the mountains of Afghanistan to perform Operation Red Wings.
The film, which features Luttrell himself in a small-unnamed role, opens up by setting the stage of how close these four soldiers are to each other. Michael Murphy, played by Taylor Kitsch, Danny Diets played by Emile Hirsch, and Matt Axelson played by Ben Foster, along with Marcus Luttrell, have weaved the relationships they share with each other overseas with the ones they hold back in the United States.
“Lone Survivor,” grabs you by your hand and pulls you over every rock and crevasse of the Afghani-mountains the four soldiers trek over, while simultaneously making you feel like you’re the fifth SEAL.
It is a patriotic story that showcases the lengths four SEALs were willing to go for freedom, their country and their brothers in arms. If you’ve yet to see the movie, as an American, you owe it to yourself. Spend the money on the ticket or buy the discount ones sold in the SEaL office and watch the cinematic adventure that is “Lone Survivor.”
