Based on the events of Operation Redwing and the book of the same title by former soldier Marcus Luttrell, Lone Survivor recalls the events of that operation. After introducing all the characters and giving a mission briefing, a team of 4 soldiers are tasked with finding a head Taliban leader.

The operation seems to be going well until a group of two boys and an elderly man herding goats stumble upon their camp and the troops are left with a tough decision, kill the herders or let them go and have the operation compromised.

The events after their decision are shown, and the gun fight that ensues is one of the hardest scenes to watch from any movie this year. You really feel the pain and the struggle that the soldiers are experiencing. Even though the title of the film hints at what happens at the end, you still find yourself hoping, almost begging that the title is a lie,that there is a Hollywood ending, that maybe just maybe everyone will make it and ride off into the sunset.

   The camaraderie displayed in the movie really shows how these soldiers aren't just co-workers or people who happen to be working in the same place. These men are brothers who will put their life on the line for each other and will always be there for each other. That is what really separates Lone Survivor from almost any other war movie. These men don't just say they are always there for their brothers, they show it as well. It really gives the feel that these men aren't just machines built for war, but actually, they are just regular everyday people who have a family back home that they want to see when they return.

   Lone Survivor is not a film with an anti-war message or about the United States needing to be in Afghanistan. It is simply about four men who become engulfed in the flame of war, and how strong their dedication is to survival and to each other. No matter how hurt or how many enemies they face, they keep each other going and never give up, or as in the words of Marcus Luttrell, are "never out of the fight".