
In this team, we have Ray Mendoza (D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai), commander Erik (Will Poulter), sniper Elliott (Cosmo Jarvis), MacDonald (Michael Gandolfini) and Sam (Joseph Quinn), along with two Iraqi scouts. For the first measured and meticulous half hour, they endure the monotony of waiting and watching for anything suspicious, with Elliott keeping a careful eye on jihadis in the street through his sniper rifle. The tension builds as they watch these insurgents, and the silence is often deafening. Alex Garland’s clever use of sound emphasizes Elliot’s breathing as he scrutinizes the potential threats across the road.
However, when Elliott takes a break and hands over to a less experienced colleague, things quickly turn south. A brief glimpse of a jihadi grabbing a heavy-duty machine gun in the opposite house occurs, causing a Navy SEAL to hesitate for a split second before deciding whether to shoot. Regrettably, it’s too late by then, and their position comes under immediate attack.
In what seems like real time, the soldiers are subjected to an intense barrage of gunfire and explosions that devastates a rescue carrier and injures two team members severely. The SEALs take cover in an apartment, but they lose air support, and their base refuses to send another rescue vehicle.