This is a fascinating piece about Michael Patrick Murphy, a United States Navy SEAL who won the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the war in Afghanistan. We learn about his early life in high school, his training as a lifeguard, and how he acquired the soubriquet "The Protector" when he protected a special needs child who was being shoved into a cupboard by a group of bullies. We learn about his military career; his love of what he did; and his bravery during Operation Red Wings, a failed counter- insurgent mission in Afghanistan, where Murphy was shot down in June 2005. Family and friends contribute to this heartfelt profile of an incredibly brave man whose loyalty to his country was unquestioned, and devotion to duty could not be denied. Yet I was left feeling strangely dissatisfied, wondering whether the mission in Afghanistan has - and still has - any point to it. If young men like Murphy cannot survive - even though they have so much to offer - then what price any fighting person in any army?

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)

Rating: 3.9/5 stars

A moving and stirring documentary about one man's courage and selflessness in the face of insurmountable adversity. Michael Murphy wasn't just the quintessential American hero. He was literally the living, breathing paradigm of loyalty, passion, chivalry, friendship, tenacity, and sacrifice against all odds - values which are the core of real life heroism and values which he strongly exhibited before enrolling in the "United States Navy SEALs".

The Director, Scott Mactavish, sticks to his subject and hovers the entire spotlight on several anecdotes from Murphy's life right up till his days as a Nave SEAL. This is because Mactavish astutely understands that there isn't any need to sidetrack his audience from such a motivational and emotional true story. The film makes you feel humbled yet inspired as the tale of Murphy unfolds before you.

Micheal Murphy never backed away from selflessly helping others and always giving it his all irrespective of the obstacles stacked against him. Without wanting any attention, he was always the first to protect the weak kid at school from a bunch of bullies or give it his all in a game of American football. His honor and loyalty were always evident through simple things like staying true to his select group of friends no matter where life took him or sharing his achievements and accolades with his team. According to Murph, no act could be regarded as more important than the other. He attributed equal importance to something as simple as never forgetting to open the door for a lady or willingly making the ultimate sacrifice for his squadron members.

Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy reminds us of the stuff real heroes are made. Scott Mactavisht's astounding documentary will never allows us to forget the stuff legends are made of.

Of course there is going to be a tendency to rate a documentary about a fallen war hero highly, but this one is mediocre. It focuses mostly on trivial details of Murphy's childhood as told by family and friends, but there is not much material covering the last years of his adult life. True, most people don't live documented lives, and he worked in the shadows, but we don't hear from his fiancée or even Mr. "Lone Survivor" Luttrell. Several times the filmmaker juxtaposes individual interviews of Murphy's father and mother telling the same story in almost the same words, which might be cute once, but later becomes annoying. Wow, they are a married couple who have told the story several times together before, but we really don't need to hear it twice! The most interesting part was finding out that Murphy's suburban lawyer dad is himself a survivor of a hellish combat experience. The director's worst decision was to intersperse scenes of a random doctor and his parents throughout the the documentary without context. Though it may seem like there is going to be a reveal about how he treated Murphy or some momentous way in which their destinies crossed, it turns out he just received a scholarship in Murhpy's name. Nobody cares about this doctor at all, and it's silly to use a scholarship as proof that "something good came out of it"