Lone Survivor

The first thing I heard about this movie was that it was the most amazing war film since Saving Private Ryan. That's a heck of a thing to say. Especially when I really did love The Hurt Locker. (Yeah, I know it's unrealistic. But I still liked it.) But then again, the story behind this film is actually pretty amazing. So who knows, maybe it'd be great!

Well it certainly started on the wrong foot. One of these soldiers isn't really given a back story. No pending weddings, no kids at home...well gee. I wonder which one is living. It's a common problem. It's an obvious result. But then again, the movie is called Lone Survivor. So I guess that's about all I could expect.

As a film, it REALLY works. It keeps a suspense level rather high through different tones. I loved how the film started softly, the operation began smoothly and without much conflict, but still managed to keep a nice suspense. What fascinated me about it was it's ability to do so despite its title. I wasn't simply waiting for everything to go wrong. I was just as invested in the mission as I felt we were supposed to be. Then as the film moved into its action packed second half, it kept up an uncompromising pace. One that physically exhausted me without letting me feel bored, constantly feeling the severity of the situation and fear for lives. All while managing to make these guys look more badass than any action hero I've seen ever. Lets get real here, look at how many guys they take out compared to how many times their shot.

The film pushes through its action packed second act into a soft toned third act, that then becomes just as tense as you would expect it to be. Put simply, the film is a total success despite it's shaky beginning. I loved every performance, even from Taylor Kitsch, the actor who excited me the least. Mark Wahlberg gives a solid performance, channelling his understanding of bonding amongst soldiers and fear of leaving any one of them behind.

This film is shockingly soft spoken. Why shockingly? It was directed by the dude who gave us Hancock and Battleship. Where did this come from? Can we see more of this? Seriously.

Rank - 4.5/5