Films/DVD Asylum

'Lone Survivor': Blood, toil, sweat, and tears . . . .

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Peter Berg does a masterful job using tight cinematography and stunt coordination to put you inside some of the grittiest, butt-clenching combat that has ever been put on film. Once we move past the "brotherhood of testosterone" beginning we get into Operation Redwing which is an attempted assassination of a ruthless Taliban leader. Our four protagonists drop into a mountainous area near the Taliban stronghold and slowly work their way to a staging point before assaulting the region's warlord.
If anyone who has seen the previews may think they know the story: Mission interrupted by non-combatants that leads to a major fire fight. What the previews don't prepare you for is the up-close struggle as four guys get chewed to pieces by the running gun fight that ensues after their acts of decency. I can't stress enough that this will leave you queasy by the end from witnessing the brutality, brotherhood, and professionalism those four SEALs went through. Near the end of the prolonged combat sequence Wahlberg is found and hidden by a local village that follows the quaint tradition of protecting a person in need no matter the circumstances.
Berg has a feel for jerking tears and it will be hard to deny him his pleasure after seeing pictures of all the principles in their ordinary lives before Operation Redwing. True to most brutal war films this isn't about history or politics, it's about men depending on each other under the worst possible circumstances.
As I walked out of the theater I heard someone waiting ask of someone else: "Did you like it?" I couldn't help but smile and say in my head, "Yeah, like a heart attack."

Edits: 01/11/14 01/11/14 01/11/14

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