There is a fine line between honoring the sacrifice of the brave men and women who fought and died in the war on terror, and fetishizing that sacrifice. Lone Survivor comes uncomfortably close to crossing that line, lingering for a little too long on the very moments that bullets penetrate the skin and end the life that lies beneath it, often scoring that moment with a poignant musical cue. The movie, despite its straightforward, action-oriented simplicity, crafts a rather difficult viewing experience.
Four Navy SEALs (Taylor Kitsch, Mark Wahlberg, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster) are sent on a recon mission, scouting out a village known to be the location of a high-ranking Taliban commander. The mission goes wrong when they're spotted by a goatherder and a couple of young Afghan boys. Unable to justify the killing of civilians, the SEALs let them go, knowing full well that they're going to tell the Taliban. Outnumbered and with communication lines down, the SEALs are left to fight their way out of the mountains of Afghanistan, with little hope of rescue.
The film is based on a book of the same name, written as the title might suggest, by the lone survivor of the encounter. It should be noted here that the accuracy of Luttrell’s account has been put into question. Much of the stated information, such as the number of men the SEALs faced, is still in dispute. The movie doesn’t really clear things up, and in fact muddles the account even further as it stretches to create some last-act excitement. It’s a questionable choice given the film’s ostensible dedication to reality.
Putting those questions aside, the film is pretty intense. Once the film hits it turning point, it’s basically one long, terribly violent firefight. The film never casts doubt on the outcome of this horrible situation. The SEALs are outnumbered and outgunned. They may be getting kills, but they’re also getting hurt. They get fingers blown off and fall off mountains, their bodies giving way to the sheer impossibility of their predicament. It’s compelling stuff, but also a little problematic. It starts to feel a little ghoulish after a while, the film so focused on the visceral aspects of the violence that it comes off as fetishistic. One of the deaths is depicted with such lingering detail that it almost feels weirdly celebratory.
The film’s aesthetics don’t help in this regard. Despite the horrific nature of the events, the film seems intent on making it look and sound pretty. The music of Explosions in the Sky casts a triumphant sheen on the even the worst violence. The film benefits greatly from mostly low-key performances from its primary actors. It’s reported that much of the dialogue was improvised, and these actors are really able to build an easy chemistry between them. Their easy, colorful banter, even when struggling with difficult decisions and situations, feels like an even better tribute to these men.
Lone Survivor provides a somewhat problematic experience. It is undoubtedly well put together, but that might not be an asset in this case. Between the exaggeration of events and its discomfiting treatment of the violence, the film makes it really difficult to engage with this story on a human level. Tolerance for this kind of thing varies, of course, and many people might not find it problematic at all. But there does come a point where it feels like the subjects aren’t human anymore: they’re barely sacks of blood of bone, whose deaths are exploited for the sake of cinema. Lone Survivor is certainly not a bad movie, but the context makes it a difficult one to swallow.
My Rating:
