Lone Survivor, starring Mark Wahlberg, is a story based on the true events of four Navy SEALs who were sent on a mission to kill a Taliban leader. But, when three goat herders stumble upon their operation, the SEALs discuss their options and finally let them go, knowing it will bring the Taliban upon them. And it does. The SEALs end up in a torrential firefight, running, retreating down treacherous rocky terrain, hiding, and enduring extreme physical difficulties. One by one they are picked off in riveting and bloody realism.
The movie portrays them as formidable, capable, warriors who were highly outnumbered but did what they had to do, and they did it with admiral courage. The film is a gruesome and realistic version of what these men went through. The special effects are very convincing, as is the makeup and the acting.
The Lord’s name is used in vain quite often, and the language is intense with frequent F-bombs strewn about as would be appropriate for men facing a firefight and imminent death. There is no nudity. There are no sex scenes. But there is a gripping and long sequence of shooting, blood, broken limbs, and death.
Is Lone Survivor worth seeing? Absolutely, yes. It shows us what those men went through and what true courage looks like.