Heroism. Courage. Survival. A high stakes mission set in the mountains of Afghanistan.

All of these traits emerge in this true account of four Navy Seals on a mission to eliminate a dangerous Taliban leader, Ahmad Shah, and his team of murderous soldiers. The film is based on the 2007 non-fiction book  Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwings and the Lose Heroes of Seal Team 10 , a memoir written by former Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell.

At the beginning of the film. the team, Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch), and Matt Axelson (Ben Foster), had captured three goat herders who may have put their mission in danger of being compromised.  They argue about what to do with the goat herders, because letting them free would result in Shah’s army discovering and chasing after them, while killing them would be simply immoral.  Ultimately, they decide to release the goat herders and make a run to call for backup.  Although the film is packed with firefights and chases, there appears to be no typical Hollywood exaggeration of drama or action, giving the film a refreshingly realistic feel to the tone.

All four actors did an outstanding job of portraying the machine-like Navy Seals the men were said to be.  Navy Seals are regarded by many as some of the toughest and thick-skinned men there are, and I believe that Wahlberg, Kitsch, Hirsch, and Foster did an excellent job of showing that.  After taking traumatic falls down mountain sides and several bullets each, the men found it in themselves to tough it out and keep fighting, not only for themselves and their country, but for one another.

My favorite part of the film is that the film makers claim to not have watered-down or glorified any parts of the film; I take them at their word.  Marcus Luttrell had once said in relation to film, though I cannot recall the specific quotation or its citation, that the only way they could have made the movie any more realistic would have been if they actually shot and killed the actors during filming.  This should resonate with a lot of people, because often times filmmakers take true stories, and exaggerate them so much they lose their meaning and become just another Hollywood action flick.

Lessons to be learned from the film include a sense of brotherhood.  The fought not only for their lives and for their country, but for one another, to protect and defend each other due to an unselfish and equally shared bond they had.

I would recommend this movie to anyone in search of a good story of heroism and American spirit.  Although, with all the realistic gore involved, it may not be appropriate for young children.  The film is rated R due to language and violence.  On a five star scale, I would certainly give this movie a perfect five.  I believe the film makers, directors, and everyone who played a role in the production of the film reached their ultimate goal and created the exact piece they were aiming towards.  Overall, ‘Lone Survivor’ was a must see and essentially a perfect film.