Peter Berg’s “Lone Survivor” opens at the end of the film on a harrowing moment about the title character, then jumps back in time to the beginning of this nerve-wracking story.
But before Berg introduces us to the four central figures in this narrative, he drops in a segment under the credits, documentary footage showing actual Navy SEAL training. It looks brutal because it is: physically and mentally demanding, to the point of what feels like torture. As you watch young men and women wash out of the program – while others hang on for dear life – you wonder what the point is, beyond a little rah-rah for the home team.
But by the end, you understand: If you weren’t tough enough to withstand that training, you’ll never survive the actual work – such as the mission Berg depicts in the film.
Based on a true story, “Lone Survivor” chronicles a 2005 mission in Afghanistan that went horribly wrong. Four SEALs – played by Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch – are dropped into the mountains, with a plan to take out a Taliban leader.
But things quickly go south.
This review continues on my website.