It sometimes gets extremely hard to watch war films. It’s simply painful to witness what soldiers have to go through in order to ensure the safety of their country. However, more often than not, it’s painful to witness what they have to go through for no reason whatsoever rather than disputes of the most pointless kinds between cultures, nations, and people. The soldier suffers, and Lone Survivor paints an incredibly harrowing portrait of that particular suffering. This is an action film at its core, sure, but it’s grounded in the truthful pain of modern warfare.
How to Download Lone Survivor
You can download the film from a digital store. You can also stream it. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like war movies, check out also our reviews of American Sniper (2014) or Hacksaw Ridge (2016).
The Movie Review
The disastrous Operation Red Wings mission in 2005, which resulted in the deaths of 18 US Armed Forces personnel is the central plot of Lone Survivor. The movie presents an overtly patriotic view of what took place during those crucial hours. Marcus, Mike, Axe, and Danny, four Navy SEALs are dropped into an extremely hostile area in Afghanistan. These four extremely skilled Navy SEALs are then spotted by the local Taliban groups within the area, and they are attacked by them in large numbers. This leads to the gunfire heavy film that follows.
The is a gripping, intensely unsettling, and mind-opening recreation of the events that occurred. Of course, there are ways you must feel about the conflict or even about soldiers killing other soldiers, but you can’t help but be impressed by the main protagonists’ raw talent. The film serves the purpose of any aggressively patriotic movie, making you empathize with the American characters while putting every other race to the side. However, halfway through the film, everything changes. Near the end, the focus moves to a nearby village, which adds a new intensity that sort of turns your perspective upside down.
The action is unfiltered and gory. Not in a guts-on-the-floor sense, but rather tumbling down a cliff because you didn’t watch your step kind of way. You can tell that the crew truly cared about the project they were working on. Once the action starts, it becomes evident that the production of this movie involved at least a few broken ribs.
As a scope zeroes in on an enemy’s head, the tension rises; after the shot is fired and the blood splatters, the pursuit starts. The great direction and cinematography, together with the numerous slow-motion views and clear close-ups of kill shots, take you on a horrific journey that will either make you wince or simply sweat from the sharp tension.
The actors in this film have a chemistry that the audience can truly feel. They talk like real people, discussing their lives and the lives of others while trying to stay focused on their mission. All four of the main actors, from Wahlberg to Foster, give meticulous consideration to their parts, and it pays off well since the audience feels gutted when we see them in danger. After making such a bond in the first hour’s patient development, we are subsequently thrust into a 45-minute action scene where characters are swatted off like flies.
Yes, Lone Survivor hugely dramatizes the events that occurred, and it showcases Taliban soldiers dying off like flies as the four heroes are so skilled that they can take down 200 soldiers by themselves. It’s the cinematography that truly hits you in the head with some of the most dramatic moments. The specific slow-motion, the smartly created action sequences, and the shots of nature and the wounded soldiers, it’s all there to evoke reactions and it works.
The music adds to that flavor. A semi-patriotic tune plays for most of the film, other than the classic ‘war in Afghanistan’ type action music where you can hear lots of drums, flutes, and a singular guitar riff jamming out. The music isn’t very memorable in itself, but it’s fun during the time that you’re watching the film.
Verdict
We can all obvious propaganda films such as Lone Survivor in our own ways, but the film’s got a wonderful touch and demonstrates a simple tale of four soldiers, who served ‘their’ own country. Despite the gory violence, the highly entertaining action set pieces and the overdose of cheesiness. Lone Survivor is a brutal yet moving film, even if it’s just more American propaganda.
