Gripping survival tale gains Oscar traction
WAHLBERG. Stares imminent death in the face in true-to-life tale.
Peter Berg’s “Lone Survivor,” which opened last Wednesday, is a gripping dramatization of Marcus Luttrell’s true-to-life account of Operation Red Wings, the failed US Navy SEALs mission in 2005, in which Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg) and his teammates were tasked to capture elusive al-Qaida leader, Ahmad Shah (Yousuf Azami,) in Afghanistan.
The battle-ready soldiers begin their mission auspiciously, until they run into four goatherds—and right smack into a moral conundrum: The choice is to either kill their captives, or spare them but compromise their mission.
One hour after deciding to uphold the rules of engagement and let the goatherds go, the SEALs find themselves surrounded by 200 Taliban warriors. What to do?
“Lone Survivor” inspires with its protagonists’ courage and never-say-die spirit: Instead of dying for their country, Marcus and his friends choose to live for it!
Berg’s action-packed film also deserves commendation for not seeing every Muslim in a bad light—in fact, it is the kindness of Muhammad Gulab (Ali Suliman) that saved Marcus’ life.
