Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor

Rating 8 out of 10

I read the book Lone Survivor by Marcus Latrell last year.  Loved it.  Was very happy hear they were making a movie and hoped they didn't screw it up.  Glad to say they didn't.  It's a bang bang movie from start to finish that I greatly enjoyed.

This story is the "based on a true story" movie telling us of four Navy Seals who are sent into the mountainous country of Afghanistan to locate and possibly take out a Taliban bad guy.  He is supposed to be in a mountain top village with few guards.  This is not considered to be a high risk operation for Marcus (Mark Wahlberg), Matt (Ben Foster), Mike (Taylor Kitsch) and Danny (Emile Hirsch).  When they get close to the village they find it to have many more bad guys than they expected.  To make things worse they are stumbled upon buy three goat herders.  The tough decision is what to do with these herders.  They should kill them and proceed with their mission, but under the fighting rules set down for them they would be thrown in prison for life.  They decide to let them go and get out of Dodge.  Within an hour they have 80 Taliban soldiers on top of them with a fight for their lives.  Unfortunately they must have T-Moblie cell service like my buddy Ted and are unable to call for help.

The fighting is incredible and non-stop.  Director Peter Berg likes his shaky cam a little more than I do but the story and good acting overcome.  They mostly did a good job following the book (except the ending is changed- not a biggie).  I don't want to be one of those book snobs that harps on how much better the book is than the movie.  Yet the book is very good too and I recommend it.

Good movie.  It has some blood and gore as one would expect but if my wife can watch and enjoy it anyone can.  Go see it.