Lone Survivor review

 Number 429 on the top 1000 films of all time is the biographical war film 'Lone Survivor.'

Lone Survivor tells the true story of Operation Redwings - an ultimately failed US Navy seal operation to track down the Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. The four-man team consists of Corpsman Marcus Lutrell (Mark Wahlbeg) Lieutenant Mike Murphy (Taylor Kitsch,) Gunner's Mate Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch) and Sonar Technician Matthew "Axe" Axleson (Ben Foster.)

Like many US films about the Afghan War, it can be all too easy to dismiss them as stylised propaganda. Perhaps Lone Survivor is more nuanced than that, but it was ultimately still style over substance.

It received criticism for prioritising the action sequences over deep characterisations. Although the action sequences are impressive they are overlong and the character work suffered as a result. Upon being discovered i their outpost, the four Navy Seals have to defend themselves against a far bigger Taliban force. Most of the film consisted of an intense firefight and multiple falls from steep ravines - dangerous stunts that ultimately injured a lot of stunt performers.

It also begged belief that all four soldiers survived these falls with only superficial injuries. I know this was based on real life, but it seemed like the seals had some serious levels of plot armour. Maybe it was all the body armour they were wearing? They also did survive multiple bullet wounds - until they didn't. This isn't a spoiler by the way. It's called Lone Survivor for a reason.

Not that the title really means much. After his brothers-in-arms were killed, Marcus Lutrell becomes the eponymous lone survivor, but the characterisations are so paper-thin, this could have been any of the four navy seals. And when you have old, wooden Wahlberg in the lead role, things just became worse.

But Lutrell survives the Taliban militants by being sheltered by local Pashtun villager Muhammed Gulab who goes on to protect him from the Taliban militants. This was a nice way of adding some technicolour to the otherwise black-and-white storytelling of US good, Afghanistan bad. 

I initially thought Gulab was protecting Lutrell because of how the militants killed one of his fellow villagers earlier, but it was actually due to the Pashtun code of honour Pashtunwali where members swear to protect a man from his enemies at all costs.

Again this some nice characteristics - it's just a shame the Navy Seals didn't receive the same treatment. it was also a bit strange that the Pashtun local don't speak English until they're talking with Lutrell and then it's "f**k America" this and "f**k Taliban" that. All very unlikely.