Señor Reviews: Lone Survivor

Based on the true story of U.S. Marine Marcus Lurtrell, Lone Survivor recounts the events of a failed SEALs mission, and the fight to survive against all odds.

Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, and Ben Foster play the 4 U.S. SEALs in Lone Survivor, tasked with an assassination operation. However, when the mission fails, the 4 fight against a small army of Taliban soldiers.

To begin, this is an intense movie. The beginning of the film sets up the main plot. The characters are introduced, with a real life look into the training of U.S. soldiers, as well as the back stories of the 4 main characters. This story building greatly influences the attachment a viewer feels towards the protagonists. As a result, the viewer is sucked into the action on a more personal level, hoping each of them survive the ordeal, even though it's obvious, given the title of the movie, that this won't be the case.

On that note, the action in this movie is really something. While many blockbusters and high action movies are full of flashing lights and exaggerated effects, it's clear that the director, Peter Berg, wanted to stay as true to reality as possible. The audience is immersed in the action, with cringe worthy, heart pumping moments. The danger that these 4 faced is felt throughout the majority of the film. This leads to the make up; a phenomenal job done by the make up and effects department, as each injury looks incredibly real. The four main actors, lead by Wahlberg, portray the SEAL team members respectably, showing the chemistry needed to create a believable on screen team.

An important aspect of the film is that of "who is the enemy?". While someone may think that this film may feed the idea that it's "us versus them", or "America versus the Middle East", the third act of the film showcases the side of war that many overlook: the fight happening over there. It's shown that villages in the Middle East struggle on a daily basis with the Taliban; that these are a specific group of terrorists, creating problems all over, and that it is in fact them versus the world.

Overall, Lone Survivor is a respectable film, gripping action, good acting, and a story easy to follow. It shows the ordeals that many Navy SEALs have to go through, and depicts all sides of the story.

This has been SeñorMovie, I'll see you at the theater.