[three-star-rating]Mark Wahlberg, Eric Bana, Taylor Kitch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster[/three-star-rating]
“You don’t support the American troops!” For a while mostly while George W. Bush was in office some people inserted this straw man argument into any debate that questioned U.S. foreign policy. Of course, this platitude ignores that saving troops’ lives could easily come from challenging our government’s policies.
Lone Survivor is a true story about some brave, resourceful Navy SEALS at the mercy of our two wars in the Middle East. Though brilliantly acted and adeptly paced, it’s also a film that refuses to take a stand. This means some people (me, for example) could leave this flick still frustrated by the machinations that put these men’s lives at risk. Other audiences could watch it and basically say, “Boo-rah! America is awesome!”
Wahlberg portrays Marcus Luttrell, a SEAL sent in to an Afghani village to assassinate a Taliban leader who many or may not have been guilty of several US troop deaths. By the title of the film alone, you can guess that Wahlberg and his compatriots (Foster, Kitch, and Hirsch) run into trouble. Trapped on a mountain, surrounded by dozens of enemies, these soldiers have to shoot and scheme their way out. Meanwhile, commanding officer Bana is trying everything to extract this entrenched team.
Though the movie barely delves into backstory and presuming the actors had some access to personal information the performances are stronger than a typical patriotic film. These may not be fully realized characters, but while the bullets and blood are flying, we can at least tell one from the other and feel for the horrible physical and emotional torture they face.
The film is very gritty and gory. Director Peter Berg (Kingdom) does an amazing job with the blood-soaked battles. The script adapted by Berg from two first-hand accounts presents a couple compelling ethical decisions faced within the SEAL team.
However, this film feels hollow and underdeveloped; the overarching politics that land these SEALS in this horrific situation are breezed over. The guilt of certain Afghanis is presented as a given. The shortness of military supplies that delay the helicopters from saving Wahlberg and his team is also barely touched upon. The humanity of the Afghan people is only shown very late in the film ““ in some of the most affecting scenes.
[rating-key]
We can feel great pride for these Navy SEALS their ingenuity and their tenacity to survive. We can see a little hope in their fight and in the grace that finally is shown them. These things make most of Lone Survivor a strong film.
However, terrifying, awful things happen on that mountain, and many people Afghanis and Americans die. This film should have been as brave and unflinching as the soldiers it represents, showing how we got here and asking about the price we continue to pay. Instead, we have a well made but simple flick that will make some audiences hum the National Anthem while others of us wince as the fight wages on and more people get slaughtered.
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