Lone Survivor - B

Rated R, 121 minutes

Riveting, intense "Lone Survivor" tells the wrenching story of Navy SEALS

Mark Wahlberg

The powerful new military film "Lone Survivor," based on the true story of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell (played by Mark Wahlberg), is a brutal film to experience and watch yet one that will stay with you after the theater lights come up. Lutrell (Wahlberg) and his fellow Navy Seals (Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch), SEAL Team 10, are dispatched to kill a dangerous, notorious Taliban leader in Afghanistan in a mission known as Operation Red Wings, but they are ambushed and only Luttrell lives to tell the story. Directed with an intense realism by Peter Berg ("The Kingdom") and written by Berg, based on Luttrell account of the events in his book "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10," it's a wrenching, absorbing film that's memorable for the memorable, believable action scenes, handled with skill by Berg. Bloody, extremely violent and sad, "Survivor" is a tale that isn't for everyone, and while Luttrell is certainly a hero for his actions, some may be unable the graphic violence and bloodshed. The film's first act is a bit slow, followed by the ambush scene, and then the extremely difficult final act as Luttrell is truly the lone survivor from this botched operation. All the men, Wahlberg, Kitsch, Hirsch and especially Foster, deliver strong performances in a film that's already been rightfully garnering acclaim. If enjoy war films and don't mind the blood and intensity, then "Lone Survivor" is a must-see to honor these fallen heroes.

Wes's Grade: B