Lone Survivor

 
At the peak of the War in Afghanistan, four Navy SEALs were sent on the top-secret Operation Red Wings, a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative deep in the mountains of that country. Halfway through the mission the SEALs were discovered by the Taliban and attacked; lacking any air or ground support, the men had to fight their way to safety against overwhelming odds. In the hands of director Peter Berg their story is a straight-ahead tale of heroism as well as an ode to our fighting men; it’s a gorgeously choreographed, non-stop fire-fight between the good guys and the bad guys with the good guys not necessarily getting the upper hand. Whatever your thoughts on our military presence in the mid-East, this is top-notch filmmaking that keeps you entertained from beginning to end. Based on The New York Times best-selling true story. Extras: “Bringing the Story to Light” behind-the-scenes featurette, “The Fallen Heroes of Operation Red Wings” profile of the real-life heroes. Blu-ray adds “Will of the Warrior” in-depth look at Marcus Luttrell, the real-life Navy SEAL who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in Operation Red Wings; “Recreating the Firefight” featurette; “Learning the Basics” SEAL training for the four leads; “The Pashtun Code of Life” featurette. Vitals: Director: Peter Berg. Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Eric Bana, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Ali Suliman, Alexander Ludwig, Yousuf Azami, Sammy Sheik. 2014, CC, MPAA rating: R, 122 min., Action-Drama-War, Box office gross: $125.069 million, Universal.