This gripping war movie begins with the announcement that the film we’re about to watch is based on true events. I think it’s important to remember that.
Many big and colourful characters have graced our screens during the last 12 months – including Iron Man, Superman and The Wolverine. The main characters in Lone Survivor may not be as Hollywoodesque as those in recent action flicks, but I was rooting for them more. I was rooting for them because they’re based on actual people… real Navy Seals with real families and lives. Remind yourself of that every now and then during the film, and you’ll get the most out of the two hours.
Lone Survivor is adapted from Marcus Luttrell’s (Mark Wahlberg) first-hand accounts of a US Navy Seals’ mission in Afghanistan gone wrong. He was one of four heroes tasked to capture or kill the notorious Taliban leader, Ahmad Shahd. As the title implies, things end very badly for most of the men.
Don’t let the obvious outcome of the movie put you off seeing it. You may know that most of the characters die, but what you won’t know is how heroic and courageous they were BEFORE they died. This is a fitting honour to the men that lost their lives, plus the friends and family they left behind.
I must admit I was worried when I heard Peter Berg was directing, but I needn’t have been. He’s more at home here than he was with the expensive and mainstream films such as Hancock and Battleship. Perhaps it’s Berg not having so much money to play around with that resulted in him focusing more on the character development.
Overall, Lone Survivor may have its flaws and is far from Oscar worthy… but it’s worthy of your time. Catch it (and much more) now at Showcase, Peterborough. For show times visit www.showcasecinemas.co.uk and follow them on Twitter.
Mikey Clarke
Genres: Action and Adventure
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch
Running Time: 121mins
Director: Peter Berg
See it if you liked: Black Hawk Down and The Hurt Locker
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