New in Theaters
Lone Survivor
(Playing at the Durango Stadium 9)
With all the talk about fact-based films and how accurate they should or shouldn’t be, it’s worth noting that some stories are best brought to screen as simply and purely as possible.
This is especially true with a film like “Lone Survivor,” Peter Berg’s expertly rendered account of a disastrous 2005 military operation in Afghanistan. War is messy, and politics are messy. But Berg has wisely chosen to focus pretty squarely on the action, and to present it as straightforwardly as possible.
And he’s executed that approach with admirable skill, down to using autopsy reports to get the number of wounds a soldier suffered exactly right. “Lone Survivor” doesn’t have nearly the sweep of a major war film like Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan.” But the action scenes – basically, one protracted, harrowing firefight – feel as realistic as any we’ve seen on the screen for some time.
That firefight, for those unfamiliar with the story (Berg also penned the screenplay, based on the memoir by former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell), took place on June 28, 2005 in the craggy mountains of Afghanistan’s Kunar province. As part of Operation Red Wings, Luttrell and three fellow SEALS were positioned on a hillside, tracking a Taliban commander in the village below, when they suddenly encountered a few local shepherds. Their agonized decision on what to do with those shepherds, one of them a teenager, led to a string of events that ultimately resulted in 19 American deaths.
Of course, the title, “Lone Survivor,” and the fact that Luttrell is played by the movie’s star (Mark Wahlberg, in a strong and moving performance) tells you much of what’s going to happen from the get-go. But that doesn’t hurt the film’s immediacy and power. In fact, you may have a hard time sitting still.
Berg opens with footage of real Navy SEAL training and the extremes it reaches – some might call it unnecessary and overly worshipful, but for people who don’t know a lot about the SEALS, it’s helpful and effective.
We’re also given a sense of the lighthearted camaraderie at the military base, in between operations, as the men joke about wives and girlfriends back home, or compete in foot races. One of the SEALS worries about how to afford a wedding present for his bride. The veterans engage in a little good-natured ribbing of a new arrival – involving some silly dancing.
But all lightness disappears suddenly, and for good. Soon, Luttrell is hunkered in the mountains with his comrades: Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch), and Matt “Axe” Axelson (Ben Foster). All seems to be going well until the moment they encounter the villagers; the ensuing debate is a painful one. Do they let them go and risk certain discovery? Or do they “terminate” the problem? The men also touch on a heavier question: what connection, in a deeper sense, do these shepherds have with the enemy?
But a decision comes, and then the battle, with the men literally falling down the mountainside, smashing repeatedly into rocks, their bodies gashed and broken. Several of them fight while shot and gravely wounded. One virtually sacrifices himself to call for help. A rescue effort goes catastrophically badly.
And then comes the amazing end to the story: How, and with whose help, Luttrell manages to survive to tell his tale. Though it’s a matter of record, we’ll keep the suspense alive here.
At the end, we see photos of the actual casualties of Operation Red Wings. It does not seem gratuitous, and no further explanation or exposition is given, or needed. Again, the best thing about Berg’s work here is its simplicity.
“Lone Survivor,” a Universal Studios release, is rated R for “strong bloody war violence and pervasive language.” Running time: 121 minutes. HHH out of four.
JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer
The Legend of Hercules
(In standard format and digital 3-D with surcharge)
(Not reviewed) Kellan Lutz stars as the mythical Greek hero – the son of Zeus, a half-god, half-man blessed with extraordinary strength.
Betrayed by his stepfather, the King, and exiled and sold into slavery because of a forbidden love, Hercules must use his formidable powers to fight his way back to his rightful kingdom. Through harrowing battles and gladiator-arena death matches, Hercules embarks on a legendary odyssey to overthrow the King and restore peace to the land. Rated PG-13.
Still Showing
Animas City Theatre
(128 E. College Drive, 799-2281, www.animascitytheatre.com)
The Armstrong Lie. Alex Gibney’s documentary goes beyond the doping and exposes the dirty tricks Lance used to stay at the top of the cycling world.
Blood Brother. A young man seeks familial ties by leaving his Pittsburgh home to live with AIDS-infected orphans in India. Winner of the 2013 Sundance Grand Jury Award. Not rated.
Supervention. (Thursday only) A documentary showcasing all aspects of modern freeskiing and snowboarding. Follow a group of the world’s most talented skiers and snowboarders on an intense and unpredictable trip through exotic destinations in Norway, Sweden, Canada, the U.S. and New Zealand.
Gaslight Cinema
(102 Fifth St. Next to the railroad depot, 247-8133, www.allentheatresinc.com)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Ben Stiller directs and stars in James Thurber’s story of a day-dreamer who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. When his job along with that of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined. Rated PG.
Saving Mr. Banks. Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney as he negotiates for the movie rights to P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins.” Rated PG-13.
Durango Stadium 9
(Next to Durango Mall, 247-9799, www.allentheatresinc.com)
Let the Fire Burn. (Wednesday only) Director Jason Osder has crafted that rarest of cinematic objects: a found-footage film that unfurls with the tension of a great thriller. On May 13, 1985, a longtime feud between the city of Philadelphia and controversial radical urban group MOVE came to a deadly climax.
By order of local authorities, police dropped military-grade explosives onto a MOVE-occupied rowhouse. TV cameras captured the conflagration that quickly escalated—and resulted in the tragic deaths of eleven people (including five children) and the destruction of 61 homes. It was only later discovered that authorities decided to “...let the fire burn.” Using only archival news coverage and interviews, first-time filmmaker Osder has brought to life one of the most tumultuous and largely forgotten clashes between government and citizens in modern American history. Not rated.
Grudge Match. A pair of aging boxing rivals (Sly Stallone and Robert DiNiro) are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout – 30 years after their last match. Rated PG-13.
The Wolf of Wall Street. Martin Scorsese directs the story of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) and all of the excesses of 1980s Yuppiedom. Rated R.
American Hustle. A con man and woman are forced to work for an FBI agent during the ABSCAM era in the 1970s. Rated R.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. With the ’70s behind him, San Diego’s top rated newsman returns to the news desk. Also back are Ron Burgundy’s co-anchor and wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), weather man Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), man on the street Brian Fontana (Paul Rudd) and sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner) - all of whom won’t make it easy to stay classy…while taking the nation’s first 24-hour news channel by storm. Rated PG-13.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. (In standard format and digital 3-D with surcharge.) Bilbo Baggins journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company continues East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of giant Spiders in the treacherous forest of Mirkwood. Rated PG-13.
Frozen. Inspired by the 19th-century fairy tale, “The Snow Queen,” by Hans Christian Andersen, “Frozen” marks another Disney film modernizing one of the Danish author’s stories.
Ted Holteen and Associated Press
