Lone Survivor

from www.huffingtonpost.com

Warning: possible spoilers

We always root for the underdog. As viewers, we hope that they somehow survive. But even if they do not, as long as they kill more than the enemy, their sacrifice is not considered futile.

Just like the movie 300, where soldiers find themselves in a situation where they have to face an overwhelming enemy force, four U.S. soldiers find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. Surrounding them are 200 Taliban rebels out to kill them. And towards their only area of retreat, a cliff with jagged rocks awaiting their fall.

The situation could have been avoided if they sacrificed their principles. War rules of engagement prevent soldiers from killing unarmed men. But the same unarmed men were the ones that informed the enemy forces of their presence. They were merely scouts, sent to confirm the existence of a high level target in a certain town. They were supposed to wait for the main attack force that would arrive if they were able to verify that the terrorist they were hunting down was in that town. Instead, the would be hunters became the hunted.

Not many war movies appear during the year, but Lone survivor is currently my favorite. I hope it wins awards at the Oscars. The scenes are beautifully thought out. There was one particular scene where the soldier was just shot dead, after he had finished calling for reinforcements, and as sits on that cliff, you see the combination of nature's majestic beauty and the tragic sacrifice of life. All in the hopes of saving his comrades.

The cast works well, with a lot of big named actors supporting Mark Whalberg. But if I were the judge, I would give my nod to Ben Foster for his believable portrayal of what a practical soldier would have done in such a situation, and what a loyal soldier would have done despite the odds.

The movie is a good reminder that the work that servicemen do is not in vain. And no matter how small or insignificant or even pointless the task is, we can be heroes just for one day.