Great soundtrack, average film, and troubling message
There were two reasons I saw this film: 1. Explosions in the Sky and Steve Jablonsky = great soundtrack, and 2. war stories are interesting and emotional. I loved Saving Private Ryan.
But this film was rather average. I didn't really feel attached to the characters the way I did with Tom Hanks and Matt Damon in SPR. If anything, I found the violent, fraternal and hateful tendencies of the characters rather off-putting. In reality, soldiers are scared, fight among each other, and second guess their own capacity for violence.
This brings me to my next point: the film passes on messages that are basic, if not troubling. Basic because, if I remember the monologue towards the end correctly, it was all about "We will fight till the end with our brothers..." this was kind of trite and maybe if I were a middle/high school kid, it would work.
And the film could also be troubling because... this is exactly the kind of *beep* that drives Americans towards extreme xenophobia, racism and violence. "I AM THE GRIM REAPER!" is just as good as "Nuke those *beep* *beep* True, Matt Damon thanks the locals in the end and the movie makes it clear that among them there are genuinely good-natured people. But I felt this was done in an overall unceremonious way. The locals, even the innocent ones, still appeared as "others" and Americans as the heroes. There was still that sense of traditional American entitlement which troubled me (I could go on about this list of things that troubled me... why did they not cast an Asian person to represent the soldier? etc etc)
I am fine if the filmmakers want to highlight the ways in which American soldiers behave.
But the film comes dangerously close to celebrating that tendency in soldiers. Soldiers might be brave, strong, and disciplined individuals, but we should not for one second celebrate their engagement with violence, knack (and enjoyment) for murder, nationalism, etc etc... especially when the political situation between the US and the Middle East is so complex rather than black and white.
What are your thoughts? In general, I will enjoy a war film for the social, cultural, and psychological aspects of human nature it brings to light. Lone Survivor occasionally succeeds in this with the help of soundtrack, some dialogue, gut-wrenching visuals, and hyper-real action and dialogue, especially among characters who aren't that experienced or old. You really feel for them in those situations. But I wish the film would engage more in that way rather than... idk, celebrate Americanness, the values that soldiers hold, and so forth.