‘Lone Survivor’ so much more than a typical war movie

“Lone Survivor” is not your typical war movie. You’ll be stressed out, so tense it hurts, thoroughly entertained and heartbroken all at the same time — and you’ll love every minute of it.

This suspenseful movie is probably the closest many of you will ever get to being in war, with vivid imagery you won’t forget for a long, long time. When I say you will still feel the heaviness of this movie on your chest long after you leave the theater, I mean it.

Directed by Peter Berg and based on the true story of the failed 2005 “Operation Red Wings” mission, “Lone Survivor” centers around four members of SEAL Team 10 on a mission in Afghanistan to take out a senior member of the Taliban terrorist group, Ahmad Shah.

Alone in the middle of the forest, a chance encounter leads them on the course of the rest of the movie, where they find themselves outmanned, outgunned and with no choice but to fight for their lives.

Starring Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Luttrell, Taylor Kitsch as Michael Murphy, Emile Hirsch as Danny Dietz and Ben Foster as Matt “Axe” Axelson, the star-studded cast portrays the members of the mission and do an amazing job with each of the characters, giving them the tribute they deserve. Each of the characters remained positive while on the brink of a possible death, a refreshing addition to a war movie.

“Lone Survivor” is rated R for a reason: it is straight up brutal. The kills are extreme, the blood and guts is gruesome and the images are captivating yet terrifying at the same time. From the crunching sound of bones breaking to the wide variety of weapons, every aspect is spot on and really give the movie something special.

Going into the movie, I knew nothing about the details of the “Operation Red Wings” mission, refrained from reading about it beforehand, and was sweetly surprised by the ending. However, if you know all about the real life case and won’t be surprised like I was, it won’t detract from the overall movie one bit.

Wahlberg, Kitsch, Hirsch and Foster provide a particularly realistic portrayal of the Seal Team 10 guys. Their characters are tough as nails: throwing themselves off mountains, suffering multiple injuries, and still pressing on in true Navy Seal manner (at least true to what we see in movies), all while showing the true bond of a brotherhood that unavoidably happens when these men face things most people couldn’t even dream up.

If you’ve seen the commercials, you basically know the premise of the movie and you’ll be waiting for the action to start. The movie does a excellent job building suspense; it gets to the point that you feel as if there’s a volcano about to erupt at any second. And don’t mistake the lull in the action as boring, because when the action finally happens and doesn’t let up until it’s over, you’ll be grateful for the few moments of calm before the storm.

The movie clearly shows who the enemy is and the unyielding, astonishing force of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Their sheer numbers, incredible speed and artillery prove to be a match for even the most highly trained Navy Seals.

Of course, the movie had a deeper meaning about the war on terror. In the beginning, the mission felt exciting, almost glorified. But by the end, the realization set in that they were fighting a losing battle that in the scope of things really didn’t matter in comparison to the value of their lives and loved ones. The movie glorified heroics of strong-willed men who were on an unwinnable mission without the proper backup, with essentially no idea what the hell they were getting themselves into, and without the proper intelligence for the scale of the mission.

If you enjoy action-packed war movies with a deeper message, don’t miss out on this one. “Lone Survivor” opens everywhere today.