Lone Survivor tells the heroic true story of four US Navy SEALs as they undertake a covert mission, named Operation Red Wing, to neutralize an Taliban operative in the mountains of Afghanistan. Directed by Peter Berg, Lone Survivor is based on the book by Marcus Luttrell, the only surviving Navy SEAL from the tragic encounter.

    With movies such as Friday Night Lights and The Kingdom, nearly every film directed by Peter Berg is certain to have a heavily American undertone.

    In a tale of epic fraternal loyalty, Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch), and Matt Axelson (Ben Foster) must make a judgement call to let a group of Afghan shepherds go, which ultimately ends ill-fatedly.

    Mark Wahlberg acts as the Marky Mark we all know and love: muscular, heroic, and perfectly suited for the role. His portrayal of character is top-notch, especially in his ability to lead and his harrowing physical acrobats.

   However, what may have been more intense than Wahlberg’s performance may have been the action sequences.  The entire movie felt as if it was one extremely gruelling action scene, immersing the viewer in the intensity of raw combat. Its excellence rivals that of one of the best war movies of all time, Saving Private Ryan.

   The soundplay enhanced the viewing experience by ten fold. The hisses of passed bullets, crackling of rocks, splitting of trees, and collisions of human bodies against boulders will surely jump the heart rate of every viewer.

   One of the key aspects of attraction to this movie is its difference from many other war movies. Like many other war movies, it contains an immense amount of patriotism and the character dialogue is certainly not a strong suit for this film, it presents a thought-provoking moral dilemma: should the Navy SEALs kill the Afghan shepherds they encounter and break the Geneva Convention, or let them go and possibly compromise the mission.

  Despite dialogue lacking between the soldiers, they still create a strong bond with the audience and are recognized at the end of the film.

  While it may not necessarily be deserving of any academy awards, Lone Survivor is still a fantastic film that tells an emotional tale and forces the audience to think about the price of life.