Based on the true story of four Navy SEALs and their mission to kill an enemy Taliban officer and his forces in Afghanistan, Lone Survivor portrays the true courage and patriotism of the American forces. Based on the book by Marcus Luttrell, the only survivor of this mission, the movie shows the first hand experiences of Marcus (Mark Wahlberg) and three other SEALs as they fight for their lives in the rocky Afghanistan terrain. Director Peter Burg, who has also directed films such as Friday Night Lights, Hancock and Battleship, was able to realistically convey the horrors of war and the lives of these unfortunate troops. Although the movie was filmed in New Mexico, the landscape portrayed Afghanistan very well. To my untrained eye, the movie felt very real and the actors were very convincing.

As the audience members live through this terrifying experience with these men, the knowledge that only one will survive burns in the back of their minds. The majority of the movie is non-stop war, shooting and gruesome pain. The men experience brief seconds of relief before the terror continues. Wahlberg fantastically convinced the audience throughout the movie of the excruciating pain he felt while surviving the war and taking bullet after bullet out of his body. The audience constantly witnesses other brutal and realistic injuries that clearly show the mental and physical toughness that American troops require in order to survive in battle. Scenes of the troops being shot multiple times, tumbling down treacherous mountain sides and seeing their fellow men die, give movie-goers a new appreciation for the soldiers who fight for America every day. The actors were able to draw in the audience and successfully portray the intense Navy SEALs without losing the interest of “non-action lovers” like myself. Clips and pictures of real life soldiers both before and after the movie emphasize the fact that Lone Survivor isn’t just a movie. It is the story of the American troops and what they have done and continue to do to keep us safe.