Lone Survivor

LONE SURVIVOR

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven

Coming to theatres this week from director Peter Berg and Universal Pictures comes the true story about a group of soldiers that bring about one LONE SURVIVOR.

This film tells the story of Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), a member of Seal Team 10 stationed in Afghanistan. Along with Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch), Mike Murphy (Taylor Kitsch) and Matt Axelson (Ben Foster) they await orders for their next mission.

While in camp the men keep an eye on Shane Patton (Alexander Ludwig) who wants nothing more than to join his fellow soldiers on their next mission. When orders from Lt. Cmdr. Kristensen (Eric Bana) come down to Luttrell and his men, their mission is to capture or kill the Taliban leader Ahmad Shahd.

While quietly scoping out the village where they suspect Shahd to be, Luttrell, Dietz, Murphy and Axelson encounter villagers. Knowing they could be discovered the group decides what should be done. In an instant the Taliban fighters surround the men and they have no choice but to fight back.

One decision will lead to a lone survivor.

FINAL WORD: Wahlberg as Luttrell has no problem with this role. He is in control even when the role calls for a little out-of-control. In most interviews I have seen this actor thanks the military and hopes he has portrayed the event fairly to the best of his ability. Wahlberg definitely gets an A+ for that.

Hirsch as Dietz is the less talkative of the bunch and always wants to do his best. Kitsch as Murphy is almost the mirror image of Wahlberg’s Luttrell. Watching these two actors in the crossfire is powerful. Foster as Axelson is definitely a man I’d want fighting for me. A little gruff, a lot aggressive and protective of his band of brothers.

Bana as Kristensen gives a performance that is not only showing a good leader but a leader who understands what is required of him. It is a small role but an important one. Ali Suliman portrays Gulab, know that name before seeing the film as I sincerely wish there were more men like him.

Ludwig as Patton is endearing, humorous and portrays a young man who clearly wants to be a good soldier and part of a brotherhood. The scene in the recreation hall is one I am not likely to ever forget.

Other cast include: Scott Elrod as Peter Musselman, Dan Bilzerian as Dan Healy, Ali Suliman as Gulab, Rohan Chand as Gulab’s son, Josh Berry as Taylor, Sammy Sheik as Taraq and Jerry Ferrara as Sgt. Hasslert.

TUBS OF POPCORN:  I give LONE SURVIVOR four tubs of popcorn out of five. This definitely isn’t a ‘win one for the gipper’ type film. It is raw, unnerving and doesn’t hold back in the amount of violence weaponry can do to the human body. I don’t say this to steer anyone away from the film but instead to be made aware of the impact it can and will have.

Director Berg doesn’t waste much time in telling the story as the film moves at a quick pace. Who wants to say any film telling a story such as this is action packed and suspenseful. It somehow seems disrespectful. For Marcus Luttrell and all the men on the mission I’m sure they didn’t see it in this way at all. So let me say the film is intense and leave it at that.

In the two hours of the film the sequences are very realistic and at the same time emotionally draining. The viewer is left outside the theatre with possibly more questions than answers with a scenario of ‘what would you do?’ and that is a discussion worth having.

On a personal note, I had a very hard time watching the film for my own reasons and yes; I did leave the theatre at one point. Sometimes it is hard to be subjective as a writer because I am a human first – writer falls further down the list. There is one person in particular I kept thinking of and to her I say thank you, thank you, thank you.

In the end – he lived to tell the story.