Movie Review – Lone Survivor (2013)
Opening limited on December 25, 2013 and widespread on January 10, 2014 is Lone Survivor, a war film telling the story of Navy SEAL Team 10‘s failed mission Operation Red Wings.
Operation Red Wings was a special ops mission that took place in Afghanistan starting on June 27, 2005. Once the soldiers were discovered by locals and the mission was compromised, what followed was a massive firefight with Taliban fighters. The fighting ultimately claimed the lives of three of the four-man SEAL team along with sixteen more soldiers that were part of the quick reaction force.
This is their story.
Directed by Peter Berg, Lone Survivor stars Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Luttrell. Supporting him in the film are Taylor Kitsch as Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, Emile Hirsch as Danny Dietz, Ben Foster as Matthew Axelson, and Eric Bana as Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen.
Lone Survivor begins by taking a brief look at soldiers training to become Navy SEALs. It’s a brutally tough and mentally challenging program with an extremely high rate of failure for the candidates. It’s no wonder that those soldiers who succeed and become Navy SEALs are modern day warriors capable of overcoming any challenge.
The film then transitions to Afghanistan and we see combat medics working hard to save the life of Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg). His body is bloody and beaten, and at this point it’s uncertain if the medical team will be able to save his life.
Lone Survivor then goes back a few days and we see what looks like an ordinary morning on an army base in Afghanistan. The soldiers wake up and start their day. Some of them compete in a physical fitness race while others communicate with loved ones back home. It’s just another ordinary morning for the soldiers.
Later that day, Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen (Eric Bana) leads a mission briefing for the Navy SEALs. Operation Red Wings is designed to capture or kill notorious Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. The secondary target is a man named Taraq, Shah’s right hand man and accomplice. The mission itself will be carried out with a four-man SEAL reconnaissance team. It’s noted that because of the mountainous terrain, there may be communication problems between the SEAL team and their headquarters.
Before the SEALs depart on their mission, they spend some time getting to know the newest member of SEAL Team 10, Shane Patton (Alexander Ludwig). Of course, “getting to know” really means ridiculing and taunting their newest team member. He’s forced to briefly embarrass himself for the entertainment of his fellow soldiers.
The soldiers then suit up their gear and board a CH-47 Chinook helicopter and receive an escort by Army AH-64 Apache gunships to their landing zone. Four Navy SEALs — Marcus Luttrell, Michael P. Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Matthew Axelson (Ben Foster), and Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch) — fast-rope out of the helicopter and quickly secure their immediate area. The CH-47 quickly departs the area and the SEALs begin walking to their target area. Along the way they have aerial support from an Air Force AC-130 gunship aircraft flying overhead.
As the team makes their way to the target area, they slowly lose radio communication. They broadcast their waypoint locations (named after beer manufacturers) one by one, and in a couple of hours they reach their target area. The SEALs are on a mountain and overlooking a village where Ahmad Shah and Taraq are believed to be residing. As they use powerful optics to observe the town, they quickly notice that not only are both targets sighted, but so are many armed fighters, much more than originally estimated. It seems like there’s a small army protecting the Taliban leader.
Operation Red Wings is compromised when three Afghani goat herders, an old man and two young boys, accidentally stumble onto the location of the Navy SEALs. The SEALs quickly capture the three goat herders, and it’s noticed that the old man is carrying a fancy radio. It’s believed that he’s really a member of the Taliban, and he’ll notify them of the Americans’ position if he’s released.
What happens next is a debate over the Rules of Engagement and how to handle their situation. Communication is not working, so Lieutenant Murphy tries to use the satellite phone to call his commander and ask for instructions. Before Lt. Cmdr Kristensen can answer the phone, the line goes dead. The signal is too weak to make or receive any more calls. Cut off from their headquarters, it’s up to the SEAL team to decide what to do with their prisoners and how to handle the rest of their mission.
Option #1 is to let their prisoners go and continue with their mission. The prisoners may not have any affiliation with the local Taliban fighters.
Option #2 is to tie the prisoners to trees, leaving them to the elements, and then proceed with their mission. It’s noted that the prisoners will most likely freeze to death if they’re not eaten by wolves first.
Option #3 is to kill the prisoners.
Axelson and Luttrell get into an argument about how to handle their prisoners. Axelson is in favor of killing or simply leaving them tied to trees so that they can still complete their mission. He reminds them that Ahmad Shah is a notorious killer of American soldiers, and if he’s not stopped now, then he’ll be killing more Americans very soon. He’s right there in the village and they can kill him.
Luttrell, on the other hand, is more concerned about being a professional soldier and the repercussions for killing unarmed prisoners. It’s not worth spending time in prison or bringing negative attention to the SEAL program should anybody ever discover the murdered bodies. In today’s age of satellite communication and the Internet, it’s easier than ever to spread negative news, especially against the American military.
Lieutenant Murphy makes the final call. He orders them to free the prisoners. His team is to immediately depart the area and head for home. The mission has been compromised and is now a failure.
As predicted, one of the freed boys races down the mountain and alerts the Taliban while the SEALs head to a mountain peak to re-establish communications. Within moments a large number of Taliban fighters make their way up the mountain and try to surround the soldiers. The SEALs notice them, and when the Taliban are close enough, they open fire and begin killing them.
A large gun battle erupts as the Navy SEALs take on the Taliban. At first the battle goes well for the Americans, but some of them receive gunshot wounds as the Taliban press their attack. The SEALs have to flee the area. They work their way across the top of the mountain until they reach a steep drop. They’re trapped. The only option is down the mountain. A Taliban fighter fires an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) at the soldiers just as they’re jumping off the side of the mountain.
The four SEALs tumble down the steep hill, hitting many exposed rocks and trees along the way. Most of them are seriously injured from the fall. They’re all able to get up and walk, but they quickly discover that many of the enemy are now above them on the high ground. In addition to that, more Taliban are approaching from other points around them. The SEALs are forced to continue fighting and trying to find a way out of that area. They also keep trying to re-establish communications, but that fails.
The Taliban continue to score hits against the American soldiers. The soldiers eventually reach a brief safe area amongst rocks and boulders. Marcus Luttrell, the team’s medic, takes a brief look at his team members’ injuries. Most of the gunshot wounds are serious. He has two of the men rub dirt into the wounds as a way to slow the bleeding. Before anybody else can be treated, the fighting resumes.
The SEALs are forced to another ledge on the mountain. Once again they’re forced to jump over the side and take another brutal tumble down the mountain. The difference is that this time one of their own men is accidentally left on top of the ledge. Danny Dietz is surrounded by the Taliban and he later dies on the mountain.
Down the hill, Murphy, Luttrell and Axelson are still under heavy gun fire. They try to take shelter behind some rocks, but it’s little use. The main problem is that they still need to achieve radio contact with home base and alert them to their dire situation.
Lieutenant Murphy notices a rocky outcropping that would be a perfect spot to use the satellite phone. It’s on top of a hill and out in the open. The only problem is that the area is surrounded by Taliban, and he’ll be trapped with no cover while on the rock. It’s suicide. Knowing the fatal risk, Lieutenant Murphy still takes the satellite phone and reaches the large rock. He’s able to use the phone and alert headquarters. While he’s on the phone, Taliban fighters shoot and kill him.
Over at Bagram Air Base, the other members of SEAL Team 10 board MH-47 helicopters as part of a quick reaction force rescue mission. The quick reaction force is supposed to have additional helicopters flying in support, but that part of the mission is scrubbed as the AH-64 Apaches are still out on a mission. Supplies are tight and the air base has to operate under strict regulations.
By the time that the MH-47 with SEAL Team 10 receives the news of the reaction force mission being scrubbed, Lt. Cmdr Kristensen ignores the order to return to the air base. He asks the Chinook’s pilot to find a landing zone for Kristensen’s soldiers. The pilot agrees and they quickly reach the mountains where Operation Red Wings is taking place.
Luttrell and Axelson are thrilled when they see the American helicopters circling overhead. Their rescue force has arrived, and their fellow SEALs won’t let them down. As Kristensen’s MH-47 is hovering and about to unload the SEALs, a Taliban fighter shoots an RPG at the helicopter. The warhead actually flies into the open helicopter and detonates, causing the chopper to fall and crash onto the rocky mountain, killing everybody on board.
The second MH-47 quickly comes under heavy enemy attack. The soldiers on board the chopper still want to land, but it’s just too dangerous for the aircraft. Luttrell and Axelson can’t believe it as the second chopper is forced to leave the area, stranding the two remaining Navy SEALs.
Luttrell and Axelson become separated on the mountain. Axelson is heavily wounded and running out of ammunition. He finally accepts his fate as he’s surrounded and then shot and killed by Taliban fighters.
Marcus Luttrell is now on his own as he tries to escape from the Taliban. Luttrell is also heavily wounded by this point, but he’s able to walk out of the hostile area. He finds a stream with running water and refreshes himself. While he’s in the water, Luttrell is discovered by more Afghanis. He remembers what happened the last time they trusted the Afghanis, and Marcus is very hesitant about this guy. Luttrell threatens to kill him with a hand grenade. Still, something seems different about this Afghani. They hear the Taliban approaching and Marcus accepts the Afghani’s offer of help. He then taken to a local village and hidden inside of a house.
Inside of the house, Marcus realizes that the local Afghanis are friendly. He has one of them identify their position on his map. He then writes a note on the map, marks the location of the nearest U.S. base, and has one of the Afghani deliver his message. With any luck he’ll deliver the message and Marcus will finally be rescued.
The Taliban soldiers follow the blood trails and reach the village where Luttrell is hiding. The enemy soldiers comb the buildings and quickly discover the American soldier. Marcus is dragged out to a log where people have been beheaded. He’s held in place on the log as Ahmad Shah takes a machete and tries to execute him. Shah is stopped by Gulab, the Afghani that decided to help Marcus Luttrell. Shah warns Gulab that he’s making a mistake, but the Afghani stands firm. The Taliban leaves the village and Luttrell is returned to the house in the village.
After he’s safe in the house, Luttrell uses a knife to remove several pieces of shrapnel stuck in his left leg. It’s a bloody and rather painful scene as the soldier uses his training, and lots of determination, to repair himself. He eventually passes out once his surgery is finished. While Luttrell is unconscious, Gulab dresses Luttrell with clothes worn by the Afghanis.
The Afghani who was given the map reaches the U.S. base and passes along Luttrell’s information. The soldiers immediately launch a combat search and rescue team consisting of lots of soldiers along with AH-46 Apache gunships and the AC-130 Spectre gunship.
As the military is racing to Luttrell’s hiding place, Ahmad Shah and the Taliban return and launch a surprise attack. It’s chaotic as a large gun battle takes place between the Afghani villagers and the Taliban fighters. A large Taliban fighter finds Luttrell and starts beating him. When he strangles him, Marcus grabs a knife and stabs the Taliban multiple times, killing him. The helicopters and gunship arrive and attack the rest of the Taliban, making them flee back into the mountains. Ahmad Shah escapes from the American military.
Marcus Luttrell is rescued by the military. Before he leaves, he makes sure to give his thanks to Gulab and his son. He’s then flown back to Bagram Air Base and taken immediately to a MASH unit. Luttrell almost dies on the operating table but the doctors save his life.
Lone Survivor finishes by showing photos and video clips of all of the soldiers who died during Operation Red Wings.
So is Lone Survivor a good movie?
Lone Survivor is a bloody and brutal war film that showcases the dedication, bravery and overwhelming endurance that it takes to be not just an American soldier, but a Navy SEAL.
Take note that Lone Survivor is not for everybody. The actors speak a LOT of military jargon, and there’s not a whole lot of explanation of what’s happening in the film. There’s also a ton of blood and profanity throughout the film, especially when the SEAL team is under fire (pretty much the entire second half of the film).
Some of the punishment taken by the team seemed a little too over the top, especially when they fell down the steep sides of the mountain . . . twice. You see the actors take brutal tumbles and then apparently stand up and shake off their injuries. In some cases it look like people break legs and their backs, but that’s not the case. It’s understandable that Navy SEALs are some of the toughest warriors on the planet, but this part of the film just seemed a little too unbelievable, especially with it happening twice.
One of the most unforgettable scenes in the film is when Lieutenant Murphy chooses to climb onto the rock to have a clear signal to use the satellite phone and call for help. Knowing that such a move will get himself killed by the enemy, Murphy still chooses to sacrifice his life to save his team mates. That’s bravery, plain and simple. In real life, Lieutenant Murphy was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his act of bravery in the face of enemy fire.
Lone Survivor (2013) – movie trailer
Fans of war films will feel right at home with Lone Survivor. While this movie isn’t as great as war films like Saving Private Ryan, Gettysburg or Patton, this is still a great film. I’d say that Lone Survivor is probably most comparable to Black Hawk Down and 2012’s Navy SEAL movie Act of Valor.
Shane Patton – “Anything in life worth doing is worth overdoing. Moderation is for cowards.”