Lone Survivor

[Kentactic]

I just watched it in the theatre. Pretty good movie. It is a tear jerker though. I was squirming in my seat trying to hold back the tears. The dude infront of me was doing the ole yawn and wipe your eyes trick. From a realism standpoint there was really nothing that stood out wrong to me gun wise. One dude even runs the slide on his pistol off his belt after being shot in the other hand. They always slapped the bolt release when reloading. They even switched the safety on and off regularly between shots.

All things considered I give it a 9/10.

[JohnyMac]

According to Rotten Tomatoes the movie made $38.5M it's first weekend. The biggest release of a January film ever was Cloverfield in 2000 that earned $40.1M it's first weekend.

It's being panned by the liberal press and being called "jingoistic" and a recruiting movie for the Marines.

I do not go to "the" movies often (Last Time was to see Patriot in 2000) BUT I will make an exception with Lone Survivor. I just want the rush to pass as I hate sitting in a crowded movie theater and for the movie to come to a local movie theater. The closest theater near the cabin that is playing the movie is about an hours drive away.

Ken, thanks for the review. Has anybody else seen it?

*link added to "Jingoism" for those of us who aren't familiar with the term. tG
   

[Kentactic]

Ya I almost never go to the movies. Its been over 2 years. It takes a really promising one to get me out.

[thatGuy]

GAPatriot saw it this weekend and highly recommended it to me.

I don't do movie theaters or else I would go see it.

[JohnyMac]

Here is the opening paragraph from a review by Amy Nicholson of the LA Weekly.

Here's a movie that'll flop in Kabul. Lone Survivor, the latest by Battleship director Peter Berg, is a jingoistic snuff film about a Navy SEAL squadron outgunned by the Taliban in the mountainous Kunar province. After four soldiers — played with muscles and machismo by Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster — get ID'd by Afghan goat herders, they're in a race to climb to the top of the nearest summit and summon an airlift before these civilians can sprint to the nearest village and alert local leader Ahmad Shah. It doesn't go well. Amy Nicholson

In response, Glenn Beck (Calm down Crudos) made an offer to Ms. Nicholson.

“I mean this sincerely – I will fly you first class,” Beck said. “I will put you up at the Four Seasons … You will dine on the finest possible food, and you will come in here and you will sit down and speak these words to Marcus Luttrell. If you have the balls to say what you just said to Marcus Luttrell and back it up, go for it.”

Will she take Glenn up on his offer? 

[hjmoosejaw]

My son watched it, and said it was excellent. He's ready to go watch it again. He and I are trying to meet up this weekend to see it.

[JohnyMac]

Coooool hj. Please post a review after you see it.

In your review, it would also be great if you could comment on the audience and their response too. 

[Grudgie]

From a realism standpoint there was really nothing that stood out wrong to me gun wise. One dude even runs the slide on his pistol off his belt after being shot in the other hand. They always slapped the bolt release when reloading

Is this a thing? Is it always best to slap the bolt release after a reload?

[Kentactic]

From a realism standpoint there was really nothing that stood out wrong to me gun wise. One dude even runs the slide on his pistol off his belt after being shot in the other hand. They always slapped the bolt release when reloading

Is this a thing? Is it always best to slap the bolt release after a reload?

Uh... if the bolt locks to the rear AND you want the gun to start going pew pew again.... yes...yes its a thing.

I haven't trained on an AR so perhaps inserting a new mag and always running the action might be even better? One things for sure though. You need to do something to make the bolt move forward if it isn't forward on a round already.

[JohnyMac]

I always hit the bolt release BUT I had a small arms instructor tell me once I should only use the charging handle. Something about muscle memory.

On my 1911, I NEVER use the slide release. I always pull on the slide. Don't know why but it works for me.

[Kentactic]

hey guys.. I'm new around here. I'm 12, and i've been prepping for 3 whole days now. anyone know what happened to mrlockandload? I really like his videos. he talks about some really cool stuff. I heard he was in a military prison somewhere in Antarctica... if anyone can help me find my daddy... i mean.. mrlockandload. I'd appreciate it.

Yeah I always insert mag and rack slide on a pistol. One motion for any situation. I can see doing the same with the charging handle on an AR as a good idea. I just dont own an AR so I've never really gotten down to the nitty gritty.

[Grudgie]

I was just wondering. I have seen some people smack the bolt release and some people just press it. I remember smacking my M16 bolt home and my Drill Instructor saying, "Why. Can't. You do it. Like everyone. Else?" smacking my hand agianst the bolt release with every word. I have wondered ever since.

Personally I would use the bolt release because part of the AR15's strength is the lighting fast mag changes. People following the KISS philosophy are just trying to avoid making mistakes to save time. But it seems counter intuitive im taking the longer time to reload. But whatever works for them. Doesn't matter.

I saw Lone Survivor last night. I was suprised how light hearted it was. The audience were frequently giggling throughout. "Did they really shoot me in the head?" "Yeah dude your shot in the head". I didn't think it was that funny but the crowd thought so. It was refreshing though. The four Navy Seals acted just like how I would think 4 close friends would act making light of a serious sitiation. It wasn't terribly depressing like the tone of Black Hawk Down but the movie doesn't belittle what they did either. Being afraid of heights myself I might have decided to stay and fight instead of jumping down the side of a mountian. I didn't cry but I nearly lost it near the end when Marcus was saying goodbye to Gulab Khan's son.

I do have to fault the movie on one realism point that is a pet peeve of mine. One of the Seals fires the last round out of his mag and then you hear a 'click' as he pulls the trigger on an empty chamber. An M16 hammer will not fall with the bolt locked back. Maby his rifle was damaged in the fall but I suspect Hollywood had something to do with it.

It doesn't glorify America or war. You won't enjoy this if you are going in expecting another Saving Private Ryan but take it for what it is.

[Kentactic]

Good catch on the hammer drop grudgie, I didnt notice that.

[APX808]

Got this article from one of the guys who rescued Luttrell at SOFREP.com, in the article the author exposes the movie not being some accurate. Nice read.

http://hitthewoodline.com/patriotica/2014/1/11/lone-survivor-and-truth

[thatGuy]

If the follower didn't catch the hold open you could have the bolt return to battery and then a click.

The likely hood of that happening is low but say dude was really throwing himself around he could well have bent up his magazine... Maybe...

Then again Hollywoodland could be up to their same old shit.

Speaking of same old shit, I've read several articles about the actual amount of hostiles in the area in the vein of the one posted by APX. All I have to say about that is America's perception is of naked aggression and the attributes of men is so skewed that it has become unrealistic.

What is realistic is that 4 men, no matter how well trained could be bested by 30-40 men.

What isn't believable about that I can't figure and I will agree with the authors of the articles I have read that it betrays the memory of these men to inflate the count because it isn't enough for entertainment value. 10 to 1 seems pretty fucking staggering to me.

[APX808]

I haven't seen this movie yet, I'll talk in general.

The problem with Hollywood war movies is that they absolutely fail to demonstrate the fear the soldiers experience, just to show them all as badasses, and they don't show the gore of the killings, so killing a man is just like turning him off, no big deal.

If they transmitted that then they wouldn't need to show 1000 deaths, just a few would do the effect.

I think "Saving private Ryan" was able to do what I mentioned pretty well.

[hjmoosejaw]

I thought it was a really good movie. From interviews I've watched, of Marcus Lutrell, and Mark Walberg, accuracy was very important to them. Now that I've read the article, I'm skeptical of the accuracy. One thing that puzzled me, was that I saw, or heard somewhere, that Marcus was in favor of eliminating the threat, yet in the movie, he was strongly against it. That being said, regardless of how exact the accuracy was, the Seals are very tough individuals, they DID fight a Hell of a fight. They WERE, very outnumbered. They all suffered multiple wounds. They fought till they couldn't fight anymore. May they rest in peace, and Godspeed to Marcus Lutrell.

P.S. I think that toward the end, when Hell was breaking loose in the village, it was a good thing for Marcus, that the little boy, didn't slide him a duck. lol