Navy Seal, Marcus Latrell is tossed into the scorching temperatures of the Afghanistan country, with about 40 pounds on his back, a rifle in hand and some of the toughest terrain in the world under his feet. If that wasn’t enough, Taliban Insurgents track down and kill all of his Navy SEAL teammates, and now alone, injured and now he is faced with no way of getting home. Welcome to the life-altering story of Marcus Lutrell and the movie version of his account, Lone Survivor.

The resilience of the SEALs comes from the mental and physical toughness of their troops, and it is heavily tested in this true story. Operation Red Wings, a high command order to take out notorious Al Qaeda leader Ahmad Shahd, demonstrates what can go deathly wrong in the battlefield and shows that no one is invincible.

Told from the viewpoint of the heroic and strong-willed Lutrell, played by Mark Wahlberg, Lone Survivor shows the realistic story of the lone survivor.

A heavily classified operation is ordered in 2005, to take out a high profile target of the Al Qaeda, Commander Sahad. A small SEAL team of four is sent into the Afghan wilderness to trek to a vantage point and carry out the operation. That is until everything is turned upside down. Discovered by a local, the team must retreat and fight for their lives to get back home by evading Taliban soldiers dispatched to eliminate the Americans.

All four fight against the odds, an army of enemies, and have no way to communicate for support without giving away their position. They fight to get back to a vantage point where they can seek help but two members Michael P. Murphy and Danny Dietz lose their lives for the remaining two to live.

Lutrell and Matthew Gene Axelson are the only survivors of the original team. They both fight off insurgents, but to no avail as the Taliban shoots one of the incoming rescue choppers down and the remaining chopper is forced to retreat. Axelson is split from Luttrell and is killed by enemy forces. Lutrell is now the Lone Survivor; he must survive long enough to get help.

To make the movie look realistic and resemble the US Navy’s SEAL, Air and Land Teams; there were no green screens, VFX or visual effects used while filming. The making of the movie was very dangerous, especially for Wahlberg who did his own stunts. In one sequence, director Peter Berg blew a mortar on Wahlberg’s face from less than two feet away; thankfully, he was not horribly injured but was very rattled.

Lone Survivor is one of the most exciting, emotional and battle-filled movies since the great Saving Private Ryan with Tom Hanks. Wahlberg resembles Hanks in this movie with amazing acting and emotional scenes. It is a must-see movie that should be viewed by those who are passionate about combat movies, and possibly one of the best made films of the year, if not ever. Viewers where on the edge of their seat, astonished by the quality of the movie.