Saw “Lone Survivor” last night. Based on the true story of the disastrous Operation Red Wings in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2005. A four-man SEAL recon patrol was compromised and forced to attempt to fight its way out of the mountains.
The movie is intense and visceral. Devoid of any political content, it is simply a story of warriors fighting to survive in extremely arduous circumstances. The grit these men display is profoundly inspiring. The culture hearkens back to an older ethic where “dying well” meant something. I have never seen a more subdued crowd leave a theater. Nobody pulled out a cell phone. Hardly anybody spoke. It was almost reverent.
Highest recommendation.
Jack Badelaire says
I saw the film and enjoyed it, but wondered how much of it was exaggerated for the film. Wound up reading the book over the next 48 hours. Surprisingly, although the way they shot some scenes was a little over-the-top (Murphy’s death), I thought others (Axelman’s death) were handled extremely well.
I definitely think no one should see the movie without reading the book, before or after.
JimC says
Jack:
Here’s a link to a story I did in my newspaper on a local man who was part of the air rescue outfit. He found the movie well done and authentic in feel and spirit, though the rescue was not conducted as depicted in daylight and the Apache attack is fiction. Agree that Murphy’s death was perhaps a little too stylized. One should not go to the movies for their history; it’s inherently a mythic format — but as a tribute to warriors based on and inspired by actual events, ‘Lone Survivor’ rates very high.
http://www.nuggetnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=21899&TM=69962.27