Looks like Universal trying to get some award buzz with this. I don't see that happening unless it's really good and the reviews are great cause this trailer doesn't do anything for me.
3. "It didn't feel like an awards contender to me." In response to Reply # 0
It actually felt like a gussied-up episode of Friday Night Lights but without Coach and Mrs. Taylor and all the lovable players (save Taylor Kitsch), especially in the beginning when we get to see a bit of Guy Bonding between the troops before their mission begins and all hell breaks loose
I can't front, the action sequences were very effective, and while I *did* feel a little bit of empathy when the guys started getting picked off (or should I say, blitzed) one-by-one (I mean, if you think that's a SPOILER you should probably take another long look at the film's title), I just couldn't bring myself to care. The Guy Bonding early didn't do a good enough job selling the camaraderie of the unit for me to be fully invested when they start catching Ls. And I think the title wasn't helping matters either.
And you know what else wasn't helping? The score by Explosions in the Sky. Just felt completely out of place in a war movie and because of the Peter Berg-Taylor Kitsch connection kept reminding me of Friday Night Lights. I was half hoping that Kyle Chandler would show up at some point and save the day.
Wahlberg was okay but the other guys (Kitsch, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch) didn't do enough to stand out from one another, which also contributed mightily to my indifference about the entire affair.
So while this was based on an incredible true story, and I could appreciate the filmmaker's appreciation for the military and those who sacrificed their lives for everyone, the movie ultimately didn't feel very incredible to me.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gotta hear both sides
5. "Yo real talk, I fucks with this shit." In response to Reply # 0
Now is this gonna win major awards? No. I don't even why they're pushing this as an awards contender. But, with that said this is a really good flick.
The sound design is incredible. My hats off to sound mixer and/or editor.
But, real talk the most interesting aspect of the film doesn't come in until the third act which is the Afghan Pashtuns who practice Pashtunwali against the Taliban on a daily basis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtunwali. I'd rather see a movie on that. I WANT TO MAKE A MOVIE ON THAT.
But cotdamn can the human body take punishment. I mean shit these niggas are taking serious damage to their bodies before the inevitable happens (as Zoo said you spoiler senstive fucks need to look at the title again).
7. "Should have been about the villagers." In response to Reply # 0
The set-up was there for a classic western. There's a FAR better movie about those guys to be made.
Instead we get well-crafted action scenes but ones that get to the point that they are almost torture porn. The Ben Foster scene seemed particularly gratuitous. The tumbling down the rocks scenes also lost some of their impact (no pun intended) when they looked exactly like the scene from Berg's The Rundown. There had to have been a better way to shoot/cut that so it didn't look like a pratfall from a comedy. Put a go pro on a dummy or something.
And I love me some Explosions in the Sky but this movie would have been better without a score at all. Instead if felt like it was telling me "This is epic!" when it was one ill-fated mission. I mean, I hate saying that since soldiers lost their lives in real life but they needed to better set-up the mission or establish the bad guy as something more than a target.
Oh, and side note, can we have faith in audiences to skip the flash forward at the start of movies? There was really no need for the flash forward and then 3 Days Earlier. That is becoming almost cliche at this point.
8. "3rd act should've been the basis of this film..." In response to Reply # 0 Thu Jan-02-14 08:56 PM by CyrenYoung
..flip the perspective of this plot and push for humble pie and this film MIGHT'VE had a legitimate shot @ gold.
this real story here isn't about survival, its humanity. unfortunately, they barely skimmed the surface regarding that (and made mention of that just before the final montage/credit roll).
as is, its your typical heroic story about the good ol' boys that ride out to take out the evil in the world, only to get tripped up by circumstance, building to some miraculous save in the end. not much in the way of plot or character development.
*i'm prob'ly one of the FEW people who was bothered by the fact that this elite group CHOSE to huddle together during extended rest periods (more than once).
outside of that, i just wish someone would eventually care to give balance to all parties in a film about military conflict.
9. "Great story...too short tho" In response to Reply # 0 Thu Jan-02-14 09:45 PM by Heinz
could've showed more, especially the part where Luttrell was by himself over night, crawling and falling and knocking himself out then coming to to do the same again throughout the rest of that night. They never showed that. Never showed how desperate for water he was they just showed him finding the bottom of the waterfall. Could've been good moments for the movie. Also would've been good to show the relationship after with Gulab and Luttrell after as they are pretty good friends. He flies him over to his ranch in Texas and they shoot guns and hang out.
Great cast btw and the banter was great. It was a lot like the tv show Friday Night Lights with the slow motion montages and the way its shot. I didnt know it was the same director till it looked on IMDB. I guess thats why Riggins was in the movie lol But the similarities in the way the story is told and shot are all spot on. I can't decide if thats a good thing or band thing. Works on tv not sure if it worked for a whole film
13. "Enjoyed it, loved how straight forward it was" In response to Reply # 0
no politics, no agenda trying to make you believe a certain way about the war, it just told the story of the mission...
The criticism I have seen is not enough back story? I think that is what made it great... "hollywooding" it up with unnecessary bs would have cheapened it... why do we need a backstory? We know these are Navy Seals who have gone through great sacrifices, that is all we need to know to connect with them
Agree with posters above that their is a great movie to be made from the villagers point of view
14. "Besides the ending being completely made up, I liked it." In response to Reply # 0
All of the details of the mission where everything went wrong were pretty close to accurate. Everything after that was not. It's a shame they had to cut out everything involving Marcus and the village, but I understand it. The movie would have been 3.5-4 four hours long if they included everything.
I agree with the earlier poster who said it's not going to be an award contender, but it was still good. Definitely the best war movie that's been made recently, which doesn't mean a whole lot since there has been nothing but crap in recent years.
15. "So what would you guys have done with the goat herders?" In response to Reply # 0
Smoked them? Tied them up? I think I would have tied their hands and feet together and let them hop back down the mountain, but I don't know if I would have thought about that in the moment. That was a pretty impossible situation with no good outcomes. Personally, there's no way I could have just killed a kid.
16. "Why did all four guys have to go up?" In response to Reply # 15
Couldn't two guys have stayed down at the camp with the tied up herders and two guys have gone up the mountain to get a signal? Can't remember if there was a reason why splitting up wasn't an option.
17. "was ok but since i read the book, really disliked the ending" In response to Reply # 0
they fictionalized his rescue way too much imho. in an era where 3 hours movie r more and more becoming the norm, i think they could've added easily 30 min to give us more insight into pashtunwali and why the clan leader was willing to risk his people own lives to protect an american
******************************************************* i will not let finite disappointment undermine infinite hope - Cory Booker
Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end the Germans always win - Gary Lineker
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