Operation Red Wing was a 2005 military operation in which a
four man SEAL team stationed in Afghanistan was tasked with eliminating Ahmad
Shah, a high-level Taliban target. The mission went tragically awry and only
Marcus Luttrell survived to tell the tale. Another sixteen troops were killed
when their helicopter was shot down during an attempted rescue. Along with
novelist Patrick Robinson, Luttrell co-authored Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost
Heroes of Seal Team 10, his account of the undertaking, which was quickly
optioned by writer/director/producer Peter Berg, who was coming off the box
office flop of Battleship.
In Lone Survivor,
Luttrell, a hospital corpsman, is assigned the mission along with team leader
Lt. Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), communications specialist Danny Dietz
(Emile Hirsch), and sniper Matthew Axelson (Ben Foster). The SEALs are dropped
into the mountainous Hindu Kush region, but are eventually spotted by an
elderly goat herder and two young boys. The SEALs choose to release them,
despite knowing the civilians will alert Taliban forces to their presence. Sure
enough, they are on the run, severely outnumbered and outgunned.
With a title like Lone
Survivor, there's little doubt left to the ending, even if you aren't
familiar with the real-life events. However, it's the journey that's important
and Lone Survivor takes us on one
harrowing ride. The film begins innocuously enough as the protagonists enjoy
their down time by discussing wedding gifts, kitchen tiles, and hazing the new
guy. Once the action begins, it almost never lets up as the movie becomes an
extended firefight.
Berg is no stranger to kinetic action as seen in 2007's The Kingdom, which helped him earn credibility
with Luttrell. Berg drops you right into the thick of things without relying
heavily on the shaky cam that so many American directors employ. Yes, there are
handheld shots, but not enough to make you confused as to what's happening on
screen. He makes you feel every bone breaking hit when the SEALs tumble down a
mountainside. And Berg doesn't shy away from the gorier bits as a bullet rips
through a man's body in slow motion.
The acting is on point, particularly the always intense Ben
Foster. The leads are called upon to convey distinct personalities with very
little material. Berg doesn't attempt to shoehorn in back stories for each character;
he's only interested in the here and now.
This being a Hollywood production, Lone Survivor does embellish the events for dramatic purposes. The
film sees Luttrell's unit facing an enemy force of over a hundred while
military reports list the number as anywhere from a dozen to the thirties.
While Luttrell found safe harbor in a Pashtun village, the climatic shootout
against Shah and his men never happened.
Lone Survivor is a realistic and brutal
portrayal of war. It's gripping and action-packed while remaining respectful to
those who lived and died during the actual events.
Rating: *** (*****)
