A true life movie based on a reconnaissance mission involving a scouting party of four navy SEALS (Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Taylor Kitsch & Emile Hirsch) who are tasked with locating a Taliban leader and his deputy in Afghanistan. Director Peter Berg manages to do this cleverly by creating an almost old Western like tale of men holding off a greater force of enemies against the odds.

The early part of the movie has a Full Metal Jacket feel with images of the intense training these men went through to become a member of the SEAL team and the early exchanges in dialogue show their loyal bonding and camaraderie which serves as their mantra. Where the story really picks up is when the men are dropped into enemy territory with the build up to the pending drama you know is coming slowly creeping on screen as they are perched, barely concealed on the side of a mountain. Once the action kicks in it does so with gusto. The action is kept intense with only short pauses from time to time as the men are pursued down the side of the mountain. Injured or incapacitated alone the way each man keeps fighting, for as long as he can still pull a trigger, in heroic fashion.

With survivor Marcus Luttrell working as a consultant to director Berg one can only imagine the story told is as it was although but the many spills and tumbles down the rocky, craggy mountain looked a lot more painful than the number of broken bones that were received on screen and the depiction of the poor planning that the mission showed, missing helicopters, poor intelligence and non operational equipment which were as much, if not more of, a part of the demise of these men as any action they may have taken along the way was quite frank

As expected, from the name of the movie, it ends on a somewhat high note but one stained with sorrow as the end credits roll and it cuts to real life photos of the men who were lost. It’s a well filmed mix of action and drama mixed with a tale of friendship and brotherhood holding fast in a desperate situation which will keep your interest throughout.

DJ Speaks Rating: 6 out of 10