Rating of
2.5/4
"Lone Survivor" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/03/19
A squad of four Navy SEALs on a mission in the mountains of Afghanistan find themselves cut off from their support and heavily outnumbered and outgunned by Taliban insurgents.
Aside from the obvious spoiler alerts set off by naming a film “Lone Survivor”, this is an efficiently told true life story concerning the toughest of the tough U.S. troops behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. The story is split into two halves, the first being the introduction to the characters and set up for the mission, with the second a tense and realistic firefight during which the brutal physical punishment suffered by these men is laid bare. For the most part it has a pseudo-documentary approach which is compromised by the rather manipulative and intrusive soundtrack, but the convincing performances and well orchestrated action give a real sense of “being there” in the midst of the chaotic battle.
No Black Hawk Down because the lack of any real context or any depth to the characterisation does make it feel less like a story and more like an extended action sequence, but as it stands Lone Survivor is a solid and realistic military thriller.
