'Lone Survivor' A Powerful Film About Courage and Sacrifice

*** This is a review of 'Lone Survivor' that I wrote for the Examiner in 2013!

In 2007, former US Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, with the help of writer Patrick Robinson wrote a non-fiction book called "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10." The book was about the failed 2005 mission to kill a known Taliban leader. The book has become a best-seller and many studios have been trying to get the film rights to the book. Now, film audiences can see what happened on that mission on the big screen in the mesmerizing film "Lone Survivor."

In the Universal Pictures presentation of "Lone Survivor," Marcus Luttrell and a small team of Navy SEALs are picked to go on a mission to capture and kill notorious Taliban leader, Ahmad Shah, during the War in Afghanistan 2005. The mission was known as Operation Red Wings. The mission would later be known as one of the biggest failed missions in Navy SEALs history.

"Lone Survivor" is a military drama that is filled with deep action sequences and great performances from all the lead actors. The filmmakers did a phenomenal job staying true to what happened during the failed mission and you could easily tell they went into great detail. There are a few parts in the film that can be a bit brutal to watch. Also, there are many moments that can be a little emotional as well. Make sure to stay after the end of the film when the actual photos and footage of the SEAL members that participated in Operation Red Wings are shown. If you are into military/war dramas or have actually been in the military, then I am sure that this film is one that you should not miss.

Mark Wahlberg portrays corpsman Marcus Luttrell, who was also part of the surveillance team. Wahlberg has been really busy lately, starring in films, such as "Broken City," "Pain & Gain" and "2 Guns." He will next appear in this summer's release of "Transformers: Age of Extinction." Taylor Kitsch portrays Lt. Michael Murphy, on-ground leader and spotter. Kitsch has recently appeared in "Battleship," "John Carter" and "Savages."

Other cast members include: Emile Hirsch (Savages; The Darkest Hour) as Danny Dietz, Ben Foster (Contraband) as Matthew Axelson, Eric Bana (Closed Circuit; Hanna) as Erik Kristensen, Alexander Ludwig (Grown Ups 2; The Hunger Games) as Shane Patton and Jerry Ferrara (Last Vegas) as Hasslert. "Lone Survivor" is co-written, produced and directed by Peter Berg, who has also directed "Hancock" and "Battleship."

Director Peter Berg began to have interest in turning the book into a film while making the Will Smith action flick "Hancock." After reading the book, the filmmaker had several meetings with Marcus Luttrell. The former Navy SEAL realized that Berg was the right director for the film after seeing a rough cut of his 2007 film "The Kingdom." The director even met with some of the families who lost loved ones during the failed mission. Luttrell also served as a consultant for the film production.

"Lone Survivor" has also been nominated for two Academy Awards. The war drama has been nominated for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

"Lone Survivor" is rated R for strong bloody war violence and pervasive language and has a running time of 121 minutes.