An ‘enthralling’ movie set during the war in Afghanistan has quietly been added to Netflix.
Released in 2013, the action war drama Lone Survivor was based on the 2007 nonfiction book by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson.
The film recounts the unsuccessful United States Navy SEALs counter-insurgent mission Operation Red Wings, during which a four-man SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team was given the task of tracking down the Taliban leader Ahmad Shah.
As the Netflix synopsis teases: ‘It’s 2005, and a Navy SEAL team accepts a top-secret mission to hunt down a Taliban leader in the mountains of Afghanistan. But when the elite unit touches down, it’s not long before their mission is compromised, and they’re forced into a brutal fight for survival.’
Written and directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights), it starred Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, and Eric Bana.
Get personalised updates on all things Netflix
Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.
Lone Survivor also received two Oscar nominations – for best sound editing and best sound mixing.
This month the movie was released on the streaming service, where UK viewers can now re-watch or tune in for the first time.
Although it received largely positive reviews at the time of its release, Lone Survivor also faced negative feedback for focusing on action scenes rather than developing the characters.
‘A scorching, often unbearably brutal account of a June 2005 military mission that claimed the lives of 19 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan’s Kunar province,’ Variety wrote in its review.
‘Peter Berg’s screen version of Marcus Luttrell’s book is remarkably good at dramatizing the notorious 2005 Navy SEAL operation that went horrifically bad,’ The Wall Street Journal shared.
‘Lone Survivor’s lack of suspense never works against it. If anything, the fact that the outcome is, at least roughly, known in advance only adds to the film’s sickening tension…’ Slate added.
However other publications called it ‘propaganda’.
‘That these events actually happened doesn’t necessarily make it plausible or powerful in a movie, or keep it from seeming like convenient propaganda,’ Time declared.
‘Make no mistake, these are men who deserve nothing less than sincere respect, but Berg is determined to turn them into action heroes…’ The San Diego Union Tribute wrote.
‘It’s The Passion of the Christ for military enthusiasts – an epic of pain and suffering, meant to bludgeon civilians into a guilt trip,’ Metro added.
However, one fan called it a ‘solid war film’, while another said it ‘rips your heart out’.
Speaking to Collider at the time of the film’s release, Berg spoke about what he wanted viewers to feel after watching.
‘I knew that I wanted to pay respect to men who are willing to put themselves in between us and danger, evil. I knew that. I believe in that,’ he said.
‘What Marcus did when he wrote the book was he gave me the opportunity to settle down and experience what he and his brothers went through, and that meant a lot to me.
‘I find that people in general want to honour and want to acknowledge, but they don’t really know how to. But one thing that I think Lone Survivor does, and certainly his book did it, is it gives an audience a chance to, in their own way, acknowledge what these guys are doing, and pay respect, sit for two hours.’
Operation Red Wings, informally referred to as the Battle of Abbas Ghar, was a joint military operation conducted by the United States in the Pech District of Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
It was carried out from late-June to mid-July 2005 on the slopes of a mountain and was intended to disrupt the activities of local Taliban-aligned anti-coalition militias – led by Shah.
Just a few hours into the mission, a team of four Navy SEALs tasked with surveillance and reconnaissance of a group of structures known to be used by Shah and his men, were ambushed – with three killed during the ensuing battle.
Two helicopters were then sent in to aid them, but one was shot down – killing all eight U.S. Navy SEALs and all eight U.S. Army Special Operations aviators on board.
The operation then became known as Red Wings II and lasted three more weeks, during which time the bodies of the fallen SEALs and Army Special Operations aviators were recovered and the only surviving member of the initial SEAL team, Luttrell, was rescued.
In April 2008, Shah was killed by Pakistani troops during a gunfight.
Lone Survivor is streaming on Netflix.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
