I wanted to give this movie an F. Not because it's the worst movie coming out after New Years. It's not. In fact, it's much, much better (but Eric Bana's character arc doesn't help). I wanted to give it an F because the film thinks it's really about one thing when it's really about another.
Lone Survivor attempts to show you the harrowing true tale about a mission that goes terribly wrong for four U.S. Navy Seals. It's based on the book by Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg) and his team's intense ordeal in Afghanistan back in June 2005. Instead of showing us the unique nuances of what makes these soldiers tight in this story, we're just given snippets to buy the fact that they're tight because"”"Duh, this is an army movie! And all army dudes are brothers!"
This helps reduce the good work done by our four leads to four uninteresting stereotypes. Mark Wahlberg makes the most money, so no matter how bloody he gets, he has to look the most handsome in every shot. Taylor Kitsch plays Michael Murphy, the actual leader of the Seal team. He's got to stay handsome too, but we'll see him die valiantly in slow-mo later. Emile Hirsch plays Danny Dietz, the youngest of the four who has the least lines. But unfortunately, due to his lackluster contribution as a character, he shouldn't exist on screen. The camera focuses more on the other three anyway. And lastly, Ben Foster (a tremendous acting talent who needs to be in more movies) plays Matt "Axe" Axelson. In the film, he's painted as the toughest son-of-a-you-know-what"”and that says a lot because all these guys are incredibly strong and skillful.
What the film wants to show you is the brutality and grimness of war. It wants to show you the effects it has on the human spirit. And in this area, the film greatly succeeds. Its fast-paced action sequences are impeccably executed. Watching these men get battered and bruised by Taliban forces becomes tough to watch after awhile. But it doesn't stop. The battering and bruising continues. And then, suddenly"¦ it gets over-stylized with unnecessary "epic war movie shots". And then you realize what it's really about: seeing these brave men get beat up.
Some of you may walk out of this movie and think it's really good"¦ maybe even great. And I get that. It has strong acting and music from Explosions in the Sky. But it serves us 100% pulp and then tries to splash on a few scenes to say, "Hey! The morals of this story are friendship, compassion, and the goodness of humanity triumphs evil." Get that out of here! That's not what I saw! After spending over an hour of the film in war, it breezes through the start of what has become a beautiful friendship between Luttrell and Mohammad Gulab, the courageous Afghan villager who saved his life. Luttrell spent three nights in Gulab's home and what do we get: Gulab's son staring wide-eyed at Luttrell and another scene involving a duck and a knife. Do you call that a genuine portrayal of a relationship that transcended its bleak circumstances?
If you're tired of seeing people getting shot in Tarantino movies or on your local news, check Lone Survivor out. If you want to see something that's more inspiring, watch Luttrell's 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper or the countless other ones you can find on YouTube.
