With the release of Ted 2 this week we will focus on a film you may have heard of but most likely not seen. Starring Mark Wahlberg is Lone Survivor, a movie based off true events when a group of Navy seals who get stranded behind enemy lines. After being left with a choice to either kill a family of goat herders or let them live. A decision they have to face when they suspect they may be connected to the Taliban.
From then on is a chaotic but greatly filmed action movie. A film that is visceral and real, not quite like the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, but a truly intense experience. It also manages to realistically portray people in Afghanistan. Which I really appreciated. I won’t spoil it, but it is a great thing to see in a war film. That is something which annoyed me in a film like American Sniper, where everyone who wasn’t American was bad.
What makes it even more a surprise is the fact that this is by the same director as Battleship, Peter Berg. Also starring is Taylor Kitsch (John Carter, Battleship), Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma) and Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild, Milk) who play the other men in the group, actors who all bring great performances and make you care about these guys even though we don’t get much backstory. Wahlberg however really shows how far he has come as a leading man.
One of my guilty pleasures is Shooter was the first film Wahlberg starred in after his Oscar nominated performance in The Departed. It is amazing how much he has improved and really brings a lot emotion to the role. So if you have Netflix, be sure to check it out because it’s something everyone should see at least once. This is one of those stories you want hear on the news, and it really makes you appreciate how bad things can get.
Article by Daniel Clements
Twitter: @clemo_24 or @Novastream
