Operation Red Wings was a recon mission carried out by various special operations units in 2005. One of those units, the Navy SEALs, had four members to perform surveillance and reconnaissance in an area that possibly held Taliban members and Afghan militant Ahmad Shah. “Lone Survivor” depicts the tragedy of the mission.
It is difficult to compare what I liked better between the book and movie of “Lone Survivor,” simply because both mediums are presenting stories that turned out to be false. Marcus Luttrell explained details of the mission that did not make sense. Examples include being vastly outnumbered by Taliban forces and killing enemy casualties into the double digits. However, the rescue team could not locate any enemy bodies.
In the end, the movie, when viewing it as a work of fiction, does its job of providing entertainment value. The book, however, tarnishes the truth via Marcus Luttrell’s lies, and you will be too busy shaking your head at the audacious claims that never happened.
What I did like about the book, which was briefly shown in the movie, is the depiction of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. I’m a special operations enthusiast. Rangers have RASP, Special Forces have the Q-Course, and Pararescue has Superman School. But BUD/S has the reputation of being the hardest military training in the world. It was intriguing reading a firsthand account of Luttrell’s experience.
The person who saved Luttrell, Mohammad Gulab, also had a falling out with him over money. He also pointed out the inaccuracies of the movie, stating that the entire village heard the SEALs entering the area because the helicopter was so loud. So, in actuality, the SEALs were not as stealth as they thought they were. Letting the goat herders go was not their death sentence, poor planning of their recon mission was.
Gulab also claims when he found Luttrell, he had all his mags with him. That, with the combination of not finding any dead bodies, is more evidence that the SEAL team did not kill as many casualties as Luttrell claimed.
Mark Wahlberg is solid as Marcus Luttrell, albeit a bit too old to play the part. The superior performances are the other three: Taylor Kitsch as Michael Murphy, Emile Hirsch as Danny Dietz, and Ben Foster as Matthew Axelson. Because they played real people, they did a tremendous job honoring them through their performances. Eric Bana as Lieutenant Commander Erik Kristensen, also provided a stellar showing.
What also makes the movie great are the motivational and sentimental aspects. This includes the intro with bud/s training, the running scene between Michael Murphy and Danny Dietz, and the montage of those who ended up being killed at the end of the movie. Yes, I mentioned the movie should be viewed through a fictional lens, but these scenes touch your heart if you’re a patriotic American. Even if you’re not, the movie itself is a top summer Blockbuster. Just don’t read the book.