Lone Survivor- Wahlberg, Kitsch, Foster, Hirsch, Bana

[Zeus]

incredible film...One of the best modern day warfare movies. i loved what Berg did at the end.

 

[johnrain]

Too little characterization of the four main SEALS.

 

[Cosmic]

I just saw this the other night, and I definitely got more than I was expecting. I was familiar with the tragic story of LT Mike Murphy, and the attempt to evacuate his team. But what I didn't know was the answer to the question that Marcus kept asking Gulab: "why are you doing this...?" etc. Gulab can't speak english, so he can't explain. Fortunately, the explanation is revealed at the end, and it hit me like a sledgehammer. This story is about more than the SEALS, and the long and vicious battles that take place in the film. Throughout the film there is a message of love for your family and friends, for your brothers in arms, for your values, and for your fellow man, be he stranger, foreigner, or both.

Ignore all of the reviews, avoid all spoilers and go see this one, I strongly recommend it. Fair warning, however, this one is seriously brutal, bloody and intense...definitely not for the faint of heart.

 

[Vartha]

Last couple weekends this Movies had ALOT of applause at the end, something I haven't heard in YEARS.
This weekend I had to help a lady with her Husband because after a certain scene he started to begin sweating badly and she couldn't get him to respond. We think he was having a flashback

 

[Cosmic]

I just found a very interesting article on dailybeast.com which sheds new light on this subject, and gives a very negative reading of the film. Even though I liked the film, I find his arguments valid. And honestly, all while I was watching the movie, I was thinking about how much of it actually happened as they portrayed it, and how much they fabricated to make it more appealing to film-goers. Busch is basically arguing that if the filmmakers would have just told the real story instead of adding stuff that didn't actually happen (in order to make it more exciting), then it would have potentially been a much better film. I still recommend seeing the film, but I agree with his analysis.

The Myth of Reality in 'Lone Survivor'

 

[MiffaLadd_]

I only skimmed through the above article and I do agree to an extent. If they'd have spent twenty minutes more on the base and taken out the final battle, I'd have been just as happy, but even still, this is my joint favourite film of the year with Wolf of Wall Street. I simply can't pick between the two.

I was so 'in' the film that it went by quicker than any film I can remember for years. I only took my eyes off the screen during those hill falling scenes which I just can't handle.

5/5

 

[Figs]

This movie looks great, the performances, the usage of natural lighting (Ain't no teal/orange to be seen!!!!!), Eric Bana just being there and the action of course. I'm totally there.

It's great to see Bana in another film. I haven't seen much of him lately. Some tend to rag on him because of his character in Star Trek as well as not liking his version of Bruce Banner but as far as I'm concerned he was great in Troy and especially Munich.

 

[dude stannis]

It's great to see Bana in another film. I haven't seen much of him lately. Some tend to rag on him because of his character in Star Trek as well as not liking his version of Bruce Banner but as far as I'm concerned he was great in Troy and especially Munich.

Many actors would kill for a body of work like his. Lets face it, he was wasted as Nero in Star Trek, when some B lister could've been just as good, since it was an origin story for the main cast.

 

[Asr]

Saw this a few days ago, awesome movie that almost ranks right up there with Black Hawk Down for me. Really close to BHD in terms of that "hyper-realistic pseudo-documentary" military feel. The action scenes were really intense and shot very well, and as already said, the part where [blackout]the team fell downhill was one of the most visceral scenes that I've ever seen on film. Every time a body hit something, especially rock, I couldn't help but wince[/blackout].

I have to say that Walhberg really surprised me in this. I've seen a lot of his movies (for one reason or another, not always because of him necessarily) and have never really been impressed by his acting, but he was great here. There was one moment in particular when he was yelling to a fellow teammate during a firefight that felt honestly real and like it came from within him. Totally surprised the heck out of me.

Overall a really great, gritty film that I'll probably be buying on Blu-Ray when it comes out. I don't often buy movies on disc (even for CBMs, which I usually like, I only buy 1 every 6 months or so) so that's saying something.

Bana is always good too but his role here felt a lot like the one he had in BHD.

 

[Poni_Boy]

I just found a very interesting article on dailybeast.com which sheds new light on this subject, and gives a very negative reading of the film. Even though I liked the film, I find his arguments valid. And honestly, all while I was watching the movie, I was thinking about how much of it actually happened as they portrayed it, and how much they fabricated to make it more appealing to film-goers. Busch is basically arguing that if the filmmakers would have just told the real story instead of adding stuff that didn't actually happen (in order to make it more exciting), then it would have potentially been a much better film. I still recommend seeing the film, but I agree with his analysis.

The Myth of Reality in 'Lone Survivor'

If this would have been portrayed as an action movie I would like loved it. If it has been promoted as a movie loosely based on real events I would have loved it. But as it stands, knowing the real story, I can't express how much I dislike it. It was borderline jingoistic. Forced patriotism and hyper bravado. It's grating. Like nails on a chalk board. Black Hawk Down took liberties. Created characters. Augmented drama. Inflated the disparity between the US and UN forces. But it never hid the fact the entire situation was a black mark in the history of modern warfare. The tragedy of the incident helped reshape the US military's doctrine in urban warfare from top to bottom. But it was still a black mark. A major SNAFU.

Lone Survivor, however, didn't do or show that. To me, movies like this are a terrible exhibition of the military to the public.

 

[Cosmic]

I only skimmed through the above article and I do agree to an extent. If they'd have spent twenty minutes more on the base and taken out the final battle, I'd have been just as happy, but even still, this is my joint favourite film of the year with Wolf of Wall Street. I simply can't pick between the two.

I was so 'in' the film that it went by quicker than any film I can remember for years. I only took my eyes off the screen during those hill falling scenes which I just can't handle.

5/5

My favorite film of the year was Twelve Years a Slave. But I'm a big history buff, so that was an easy one. There are a few good ones I still have yet to see, though. TWOW and Lone Survivor were both good films that I enjoyed and recommend, but also both have significant problems that keep them from the top of my 'favorites' list.

I do want to say one thing that really impressed me was Ben Foster. You talk about an actor doing a lot with very little dialogue...this guy really portrayed a sort of intensity and tension in his role that had me on the edge of my seat, trying to imagine myself in that situation.

If this would have been portrayed as an action movie I would like loved it. If it has been promoted as a movie loosely based on real events I would have loved it. But as it stands, knowing the real story, I can't express how much I dislike it. It was borderline jingoistic. Forced patriotism and hyper bravado. It's grating. Like nails on a chalk board. Black Hawk Down took liberties. Created characters. Augmented drama. Inflated the disparity between the US and UN forces. But it never hid the fact the entire situation was a black mark in the history of modern warfare. The tragedy of the incident helped reshape the US military's doctrine in urban warfare from top to bottom. But it was still a black mark. A major SNAFU.

Lone Survivor, however, didn't do or show that. To me, movies like this are a terrible exhibition of the military to the public.

If by action movie, you mean a fictional story based on the book, then I'd guess that the studio would have considered your idea for about 5 seconds max, before rejecting it. The studio is out to make as much money as they can with a movie like this.

BHD was amazing. But even BHD had problems. They failed to do the research on McGreggor's character before portraying him as a hero (he was a total scumbag in real life), and there was strong criticism and protest over the one-sided and stereotypical portrayal of Somalis, which I found valid. But anyway, I'm not sure what your point is with comparing it to BHD. I think the two movies have different goals.

Also, I'm interested as to why you think the movie is a terrible representation of the military. If you mean that it's filled with propaganda, then I agree. If anything, it will motivate a lot of young men, either current military or prospective recruits, to sign up for BUDS and other special programs.

 

[roach]

Just saw this movie...and it hit me like a ton of brick. I did 11 years in the Navy and my brother went through BUD/s (Navy Training) those guys....had he not be rolled out on shin splits he could have been there.

This was a rough movie to watch.