# Lone Survivor - Blu-ray Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=19626[/img] 
*Title: Lone Survivor* 

*Movie:* :4.5stars:
*Video:* :4.5stars:
*Audio:* :5stars: 
*Extras:* :3stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*91




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=19634[/img]*Summary*
I remember seeing the trailers for “Lone Survivor” in theaters and not being sure whether to be excited or leery of the upcoming film. I come from a military family so, being that “Lone Survivor” is based off of the true tale of Seal Team Ten’s slaughter in Afghanistan made me rather nervous. Hollywood isn’t prone to perfectly translating true life events onto the big screen. Usually we get a big dumb action movie that resembles very little of reality or it tries to bludgeon you over the head with a political message. After watching the film tonight I have to say that it does a very admirable job of keeping to the facts for a majority of the film and focuses on the trials and tribulations of the troops rather than a political message. I also read a lot of reviews that said this was just like “Act of Valor”, a “hoorah” film for the military and meant to make us feel good for our soldiers above reality. With the whole confrontation during the trailer where Mark Wahlberg and Ben Foster’s characters face off over whether to shoot the goat herders or let them go, I was worried that they were going to shoehorn in a political message about “we can’t kill these people, we’re better than that” instead of the actual events. Thankfully that was toned down a lot more than I was expecting and came very close to the real reason their op was compromised.

“Lone Survivor” is the tale of Seal Team Ten, operating under a mission called “Operation Red Wings”, which sent them into enemy territory in June of 2005 to take down a famed Taliban leader named Ahmed Shah (Yousuf Azami). Four SEALS, Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch) and Matt Axelson (Ben Foster), penetrate enemy lines and sneak up to Ahmed Shah’s mountain base to try and take him out. The problem starts when they assess the situation and realize that there’s not just ten men there like they were led to believe. There’s over 100 armed men. To make matters worse they are further compromised when a goat herder and his son’s discover them in the mountains. Now they’re left with 3 choices. 1) Let the goat herders go and make a run for it. 2) Tie up the goat herders and make a run for it, which would effectively kill the goat herders. Or 3) Terminate the subjects and finish the mission. With their sat phones down and their com gear inoperable in the mountains they have to make a decision and go with it. Luttrell makes the final call and they let the goat herders go, knowing that they’re in for a trip home from hell. 

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=19642[/img]
Making it only a short distance the men are pinned down in a bed of rocks, without the benefit of the high ground and a cliff to their backs. There we get the meaning of the title as they are systematically slaughtered (albeit after single handedly taking on almost 100 armed Taliban) except for Marcus Luttrell. With the Taliban hot on his tail, Marcus is able to stumble into a band of peaceful villagers who agree to take in the wounded soldier. Their 2000 year old code of honor requires them to protect their guests and the men take up arms against the Taliban forces following them long enough for the cavalry to come in. 

The movie was a great watch, and almost a 5/5 movie. My only problems that I had come from my knowledge of Luttrell’s book and the inconsistencies that Hollywood inserted. The mild one that I had was in the decision to kill the goat herders or move on. Here they tried to insert that Marcus and Michael Murphy had a moral quandary over what to do and that Ben Foster’s character along with Emile Hirsch wanted to kill the goat herders and move on. The fact of the matter was that they all knew what they should have done. There was no moral quandary. They knew they should have killed the goat herder and finished the mission. The only problem was the rule of engagement that cripple our military today would allow them to complete their mission with the least loss of life on their side. So they had to make the worse decision and pray that they made it out. As you can see, that decision didn’t work out so well and just saddened me the entire time. Watching a fighting force of no equal, forced to make decision that will doom them because of bureaucratic restrictions that keep our men in more harm’s way than they should be in. This kind of darkened the mood for me as all I could see was what could have been. Luttrell himself and other SEALS have all said the same thing. Had they gone into that village and holed up they could have withstood the entire force of men until backup got there. As it was they were forced to make a run for it and the sheer tragedy of that situation causes me much grief. 

The final battle with the young boy helping out Luttrell was certainly fabricated, but it didn’t take away from the action or the main plot line enough to really warranty a black mark. Overall the film was incredibly well done showing the actual camaraderie and brotherhood that is forged in those tough circumstances between those brave men. Kitsch and Hirsch aren’t usually known for great acting, but they did an amazing job here and Wahlberg did a great job, albeit with his normal “flair”. Ben Foster was truly great though. His role was epically brilliant and it brought a tear to my eye whenever he spoke. He sunk into the role with such ease and grace that you couldn’t see him as he usually is, but as the battle hardened SEAL standing back to back in an impossible situation. There was an incredibly eye for detail for the weapons used, the actual realistic sound of a suppressed rifle and even the death rattle that comes from a punctured lung. The film is a bit flawed in places, as it takes a few minutes to get off the ground, but when they come under fire the film takes off and doesn’t let up until the very end of the movie. Highly recommended




*Rating:* 

Rated R for strong bloody war violence and pervasive language 



*Video* :4.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=19650[/img]“Lone Survivor’s” 2.40:1 AVC transfer is just superb and barely shy of perfection. The film opens up with real life footage of Navy Seal training, which is naturally of lower video quality, but the film soon opens up to the crystal clear digital filming that is throughout the rest of the movie. The film displays a very accurate color profile, ranging from the dusky browns and burnt sand textures of the Afghani base to the green of the pines and blues of the open sky during the mountain scenes. Detail is simply phenomenal with lots of extreme close up shots of our heroes and all of the fibers and folds of their military uniforms. The long shots are breathtaking as we see some fantastic Arial footage of the Afghani Mountains that dazzles and leaves you in awe. Skin tones and contrasts are very natural and well within norms with some very beautiful looking blacks. No crush, no washed out grey colors, just deep, inky darkness with lots of shadow detail. The only thing that kept me from rating this a perfect 5/5 is the occasional soft scene. Nothing too wild, but it happened a few times on the mountaintop to my noticing. 








*Audio* :5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=19658[/img]Wow. Just WOOOOOOOOOOOW! That’s all I can really say. “Lone Survivor” sports an absolutely incredible 5.1 DTS-HD MA track that literally punches you in the face and keep on moving. Vicious LFE and power that just presses you into the seat as rocket propelled grenades explode and 50 caliber machine gun rounds ripe through foliage, muscle and bone. What makes this track even more special is that fact that it’s not just raw brutal power with the LFE and surrounds. It’s ACCURATE as all get out as bullets wiz around from every direction, you can even hear individual tree branches cracking and impacted by AK-47 rounds. Every bone crunching fall from that mount top, every rock smashing into another the bullets, the screams, all of it surrounds the listener in an incredibly immersive environment where you feel like you’re right there with the rest of those SEALS. Dialogue couldn’t be better, locked into that front channel and evenly balanced with a nice dynamic range. I honestly have no complaint with this track and it alone would make me want to watch this movie again, even if it has been a bad movie just because of the sonic experience. Bravo Universal, bravo. 



*Extras* :3stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=19666[/img] 
• Bringing the Story to Light
• The Fallen Heroes of Operation Red Wings
• Will of the Warrior 
• Recreating the Firefight
• Learning the Basics
• The Pashtun Code of Life 








*Overall:* :4.5stars:

For those of you familiar with Marcus Luttrell’s book, you might have a few problems with some embellishments, but overall the movie does a very good job of paying honorary tribute to those dead (and one living) heroes. Never going too far off into the unrealistic extreme, but sticking pretty closely to the actual events and portraying these men as the indomitable fighting force known as the Navy SEALS. With stunning video, audio and even a decent set of extras, this is a must watch and even a great own for those of you who love watching combat movies. Highly recommended.



*Additional Information:*

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Eric Bana
Directed by: Peter Berg
Written by: Peter Berg (Screenplay0 Marcus Luttrell (book)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English 2.0 and Spanish DTS 5.1
Studio: Universal Studos
Rated: R
Runtime: 121 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 3rd, 2014


*Buy Lone Survivor Blu-ray on Amazon*



*Recommendation: Highly Recommended​*







More about Mike


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## B- one (Jan 13, 2013)

Thanks for the review Mike! Now I may have to this one on release day after this and other positive reviews.


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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

Great review Mike. Its on my list


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## tripplej (Oct 23, 2011)

Thanks for the review. I wanted to see this after seeing the trailer in the theater but never got the time. I heard the book was worth reading and to see the movie afterwords. I will check this movie out as well as read the book. Thanks.


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## BeeMan458 (Nov 25, 2012)

We're on the Amazon pre-order list as it's slated for delivered release on Tuesday, 03Jun14: delivered, Prime, $19.34.


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## hyghwayman (Jan 15, 2008)

Nice review! Been wanting to this one for a long time it seems as I refuse to venture away from my LRT to watch movies these days! 

That Amazon prime price looks real nice, thanks :daydream:


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## BeeMan458 (Nov 25, 2012)

hyghwayman said:


> That Amazon prime price looks real nice, thanks :daydream:


...:bigsmile:


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

amazon prime is a blessing and a curse. blessing that I get awesome speed on items, but a curse because it feeds my already bad self control when I see something cheap. can we say "impulse purchase?


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Mike Edwards said:


> amazon prime is a blessing and a curse. blessing that I get awesome speed on items, but a cruse because it feeds my already bad self control when I see something cheap. can we say "impulse purchase?


^^^ +1


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## BeeMan458 (Nov 25, 2012)

But look at all the time and money you're saving. 

Use government accounting, only spend half of your spending increase and call it a cut. 

Was notified that the Blu-ray has been shipped and will arrive sometime this coming Tuesday.

...:bigsmile:


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Nice review Mike, as always. I agree the the movie was well done, and certianly with good acting. But I found that I did not enjoy it because I knew why they made the decision (goat herders). To me, it was blatantly clear that the reason was political (I hope we all agree that politics has poisened the whole arena of war--somthing that we can do something about in the next election...but that's a different thread). And watching those soldiers die for nothing/for us....it killed any enjoyment it could have brought. I will never watch it again.

My hat is off to the men that fight to protect us as home. They deserve better form our Commander in Cheif & politicians in Washington.


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

Tonto said:


> Nice review Mike, as always. I agree the the movie was well done, and certianly with good acting. But I found that I did not enjoy it because I knew why they made the decision (goat herders). To me, it was blatantly clear that the reason was political (I hope we all agree that politics has poisened the whole arena of war--somthing that we can do something about in the next election...but that's a different thread). And watching those soldiers die for nothing/for us....it killed any enjoyment it could have brought. I will never watch it again.
> 
> My hat is off to the men that fight to protect us as home. They deserve better form our Commander in Cheif & politicians in Washington.


I 100% agree on that. They died for politics. They all knew what needed to be done but with the media and upper politics our militaries effeciancy is a shadow of its former self. I come from a multi generational military family and I can assure you we all feel the same way. The tragedy leaves a bitter taste in my mouth after knowing this could have been avoided


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Tonto said:


> Nice review Mike, as always. I agree the the movie was well done, and certianly with good acting. But I found that I did not enjoy it because I knew why they made the decision (goat herders). To me, it was blatantly clear that the reason was political (I hope we all agree that politics has poisened the whole arena of war--somthing that we can do something about in the next election...but that's a different thread). And watching those soldiers die for nothing/for us....it killed any enjoyment it could have brought. I will never watch it again. My hat is off to the men that fight to protect us as home. They deserve better form our Commander in Cheif & politicians in Washington.


I think this movie was about telling the story of the men that gave their lives. Telling the story so that others can have a glimpse of the sacrifices that take place otherwise no one would ever know. I served with other Marines who were forever scarred by what they had both seen and done. I'll leave the political aspect and involvement in war alone because there is NO fix to that. In the end it all boils down to money.


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

I will admit that there was very little political grandstanding in this movie. Except for the disagreement about what to do with the goat herders there was really no embellishments. It focused on the men and their mission not focusing too much on the internal politics behind the scene. Its what helped with my enjoyment of the movie. Too many war related film get so bogged down in beating you over the head with a political message that it becomes a chore


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## BeeMan458 (Nov 25, 2012)

JBrax said:


> I'll leave the political aspect and involvement in war alone because there is NO fix to that.


There's always hope in the next election. A society can only mature to the point of the failings of it's neighbors......and well, the results will be the same as they've always been.........for the last ten thousand years.

That's why the need for movie magic; entertainment.

"Lone Survivor" is on it's way.

...:bigsmile:

(do i dare watch argo)


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

BeeMan458 said:


> There's always hope in the next election. A society can only mature to the point of the failings of it's neighbors......and well, the results will be the same as they've always been.........for the last ten thousand years. That's why the need for movie magic; entertainment. "Lone Survivor" is on it's way. ...:bigsmile: (do i dare watch argo)


I hope you're right and leave it at that.


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

yup, best to leave it at that. I'd just like to say that we should probably steer clear talking about the election anymore...not because anyone has crossed a line or anything. everyone has been very diplomatic so far, but just because I've seen these get real ugly real fast when we start getting into politics. 

back on topic to the film.

is it just me or is this like the first movie I've seen Emile Hirsch in that's been a big movie in like "FOREVER"?


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Maybe Killer Joe? Not sure you could classify that as a big movie though.


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

JBrax said:


> Maybe Killer Joe? Not sure you could classify that as a big movie though.


lol, yeah, that might be a bit obscure. after watching that movie I'm never gonna look at a chicken leg the same that's for sure. 

last thing I remember him being in "theatrically" was that alien invasion movie where they were energy beings (horrible movie that it was)


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Mike Edwards said:


> lol, yeah, that might be a bit obscure. after watching that movie I'm never gonna look at a chicken leg the same that's for sure. last thing I remember him being in "theatrically" was that alien invasion movie where they were energy beings (horrible movie that it was)


Now ain't that the truth! Into The Wild is really the only one that comes to mind that he starred in that I really enjoyed.


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## BeeMan458 (Nov 25, 2012)

Oops!


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

Can't wait to watch this one... your review has definitely made me more eager!


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

Very nice review. Now I'm tempted in buying the movie.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

asere said:


> Very nice review. Now I'm tempted in buying the movie.


Lone Survivor is a no doubt about it buy! Just amazing in every aspect and my new go to reference movie. I was very surprised by the audio and video in this one.


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

JBrax said:


> Lone Survivor is a no doubt about it buy! Just amazing in every aspect and my new go to reference movie. I was very surprised by the audio and video in this one.


Haha I just bought it. 
Hopefully watching it this weekend.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

asere said:


> Haha I just bought it. Hopefully watching it this weekend.


Good choice. Another thing is this one sounds really good turned up.


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

JBrax said:


> Good choice. Another thing is this one sounds really good turned up.


I look forward to turned up. Hopefully can watch it before kids go to bed.


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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

Watched it last night. Yeah loud is amazing.


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

Wife and I saw the movie. Wow intense and not a dull moment. We jumped a couple of times with the bombing scenes.
These men went through so much.
A must see film!


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## sako10 (Jul 8, 2014)

i got this film for a while already for some reason i cant find the time to check it out


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## tripplej (Oct 23, 2011)

I finally was able to watch this movie. Wow. The start was slow but the middle was non stop action. Very good fighting in this movie. I liked it. This one is a keeper.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

If you haven't read the book....read it! The "real account" is 10x worse than the movie was able to portray...

Great flick, tho.


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## tripplej (Oct 23, 2011)

yes, I will have to read the book. I can't imagine how they would have written the fighting in the woods on that mountain as well as the fighting in the village. I am sure it is very graphic. Thanks.


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