Lone Survivor (15)

Directed by Peter Berg

2 Stars

Lone Survivor, Peter Berg's film on the Afghanistan war, is a surprise hit at the box office and is sparking a battle among the critics.

In the Democratic blue corner, Amy Nicholson of the LA Times describes it as a "jingoistic snuff movie."

Over in the Republican red corner Glenn Beck's raving riposte is that Nicholson is "a vile, repugnant and ignorant liar."

The Guardian's John Patterson dismisses both positions, commenting that the film is in a tradition ranging from Sam Fuller films to Oliver Stone's Platoon. The so-called centre is caught in no-man's land.

Lone Survivor is based upon a ghost-written memoir by Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of a failed Navy Seal operation in 2005 to seek out a Taliban leader.

Twenty of them went after 10 Taliban but the film reduces the 20 to four and ups the 10 to 200 - and counting.

The prologue, with recruits abused Platoon-style intercut with a Pashtun boy being beheaded by the Taliban, sets the tone.

Thematically, the film is akin to Band of Brothers, especially after the Seals get stranded and can't contact base.

While the focus is on Mark Wahlberg as Luttrell, the others (Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster) simply provide stereotypical characters.

That's especially the case when at one point, having captured three shepherds, they discuss the Geneva Convention on shooting unarmed prisoners.

What follows is reminiscent of the Vietnam-set Hamburger Hill, with the fantastic four fighting the jihadists literally to the last man.

This includes scenes such as the shooting down of a Chinook helicopter which, while spectacular, are either exaggerated or not in Berg's book.

Nor did Luttrell fall down a mountainside while being shot to pieces before walking off while picking out the bullets.

He was in fact blown up by mortar fire, following which he crawled for seven miles before being given sustenance by Pashtun villagers.

They were enemies of the Taliban and, while the latter did try to capture Luttrell, they failed because they were outnumbered.

This is not to denigrate his reputation. It's simply that he's deployed like a pawn in the greater game.

As a propaganda film Lone Survivor is honed to contribute to the latest US attempt to change its imperialist image.

But that would instantly improve if it were to stop waging war on the world.