Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg) is among other soldiers living on a Marine base in Afghanistan. An attack is being planned on a Taliban leader named Shah (Yousuf Azami), who killed a bunch of Marines the week prior.
The plan is complicated yet fool proof. It does not seem that there will be too much trouble in killing their man, and no one is planning to die.
When Luttrell, along with a company of soldiers, get to the spot they need to be, they encounter some people who might be Taliban. They capture the people and face some harsh decisions that could mean their lives: let them go, leave them to die, or kill them? After talking out the gray areas in a very memorable scene, they come to a decision, and this brings about a lot of complications.
Mark Wahlberg does a good job at portraying a Marine, and all the performances are at least decent. However, none of the characters are especially memorable. There is some playful banter among them, but there is nothing defining about any of them. For this reason, Luttrell is the only character I mention in this review.
This creates a paradox in that the movie is intended to make us care about the soldiers. The reason for making it is to gain more support for the troops. I agree with the message. There are many people who died for our liberties and our protection. This movie is about such people, and they are real.
To make up for the lack of character development, there is a two-to-three minute slideshow at the end that features all the real people it is based on. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It is interesting to see what the people actually look like. However, it is a bit too long, and it seems desperate. It is the movie's way of saying "Look at me, I am supporting the troops, and you should too!"
It would have been so much more powerful if writer/director Peter Berg concentrated on letting the audience know more about who the characters are and why we should care about them through the script. We are watching a movie, so shouldn't the movie itself make us care?
This is not to say that Berg does a bad job with this movie. I like how he uses his direction to drive up the intensity. There is a part where the soldiers know something is approaching. The way the feeling is conveyed is through an absence of sound. Among the few things that can be heard in this scene are the flies buzzing and the faint breath of wind. It feels very natural and real. When conflict breaks out, the action is fast paced, brutal and entertaining.
Another great thing about this movie is the message it presents that not all Afghanis are bad people. This is really hard to discuss without giving away spoilers because it comes near the end. If you see this movie, you will know what I am talking about.
I give this movie four out of five stars. According to my rating scale, I recommend seeing it at matinee price. However, I do not feel it would a disappointment to see a regular showing. It is a well-done movie with good direction, decent performances and fast paced action. However, it could have been better.
Content: Rated R. There is language throughout including the F-word. It is a fairly gory film with blood splattering from gun shots. In one scene, a character attempts to dig bullets out of his body (it was especially disturbing for me because I was sick the night that I saw it).
For more details on what I base my ratings off of, visit http://criticalchristopher.blogspot.com/2014/01/defining-rating-criteria.html
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