Lone Survivor

Peter Berg has not made a film worthy of his talents since Friday Night Lights. Originally an actor, Berg has become almost exclusively a filmmaker since that film's critical success but has yet to come close to Friday's achievements. The slew of generic blockbusters that followed, including the truly awful Battleship, have left many accusing Berg of following the money ever since. With Lone Survivor we are presented with a return to form, and while it is nothing close to his debut, it is still several steps in the right direction.

The story is a simple one. A four-man Navy Seal team are sent behind Afghan enemy lines to assassinate a terrorist leader, but after a moment of naive but admirable humanity, the team find themselves being hunted down by the Taliban army.

In spite of its giveaway title and true story roots Berg still manages to mount a gripping film. Everything about this film feels authentic and gritty. The action sequences show men fighting on top of each other; whenever anyone reloads our hearts are in our mouths. A stand-out sequence has the soldiers flung down a hillside whilst still being shot at. Traditionally, this would be the main set-piece celebrating the indestructible nature of our heroes. Instead, it is a flinching and horrifying piece of filmmaking that reminds us of the real mortality involved in being a soldier.

The cast (including Mark Wahlberg, Eric Bana and Emile Hirsch) do a lot to win our affections despite having little to work with. Their performances are as professional as the execution Berg performs in telling the story. We might know nothing about them but they are human, and that is all that matters. Extra points are deserved too for Berg giving a fairly balanced account of the Afghan people. While hardly delving into their world the film at least doesn't just tar all Arabic characters with same brush; something films of this type do far too often.

There are flaws. The characters and story are paper thin. This is essentially a retelling of First Blood at times, and the beats become more and more predictable as time passes. The american military here is also horribly gentrified. A point that would have passed me by if it weren't for the fact that the film pays tribute to the fallen soldiers at the end, which recognised all colours and creeds.

Lone Survivor has a lot in it worth admiring, but ultimately it feels like it's trying too hard to win us over with a very familiar story, and that is where it lost me and will lose you.