Act of Valor is an interesting conundrum of a film to review. It most certainly isn’t a documentary film (the story is fiction) even though it’s shot like one and it’s not really good as a scripted action film. But choices made by the directors, such as casting real currently enlisted Navy SEALs in the main roles and using actual live ammunition in many shots and actual SEAL military tactics, adds a layer of intrigue to the movie that forces you to view the film in a different way than your average military flick. Act of Valor pulls it all together fairly well to be a unique emotional experience, elevated by real-life heroes using cutting-edge technology in some of the most visceral military combat scenes put up on the screen.
The character development and plot are unfortunately pretty thin, revolving around a SEAL team sent to rescue an undercover CIA operative posing as a nurse for a known bank-roller of terrorist activity. During the extraction, the SEAL team discovers a much larger and more dangerous plot directed right at major cities in our good ol’ U-S-of-A. To quote Team America “It’ll be 9/11 times a hundred!”
The first question most people will probably ask about is “How was the acting?” Well… they were great for being Navy SEALs. But let’s be honest here – these men are not trained actors so that’s not really a glowing compliment. The SEALs do a passable job with their line delivery so that it feels like fairly genuine dialogue, which adds to the faux-documentary vibe. As you might expect, the film also tries to portray some of the heartbreak that comes along with the job, but the SEALs aren’t given any real complex acting to do, which is probably for best, but also takes away from any real character development. That’s not to say that some of the emotional beats won’t punch you in gut, because they will, but the script in between the fighting sets up scenes that are so obviously designed to pull at your heart-strings that the predictability lessens the blow to an extent.
But let’s be real – you didn’t go to see Act of Valor to cry like a little girl, right? You want to see the badass men of our military getting into situations that you wouldn’t step into in a million years, which is just a normal Tuesday morning for these guys. Using that as a measuring device, this film is a success in a pretty big way. It’s absolutely riveting seeing the precision with which these selfless skilled men have to perform every day in order just make it through a mission. From the incredibly smooth sniper shot on the dock (prominent in the film’s trailers) to night-vision firefights in a claustrophobic village, the edge-of-your-seat action will make you quickly forget about any stiff dialogue delivered by the SEALs and will just be left with a sense of awe. There’s also a brief featurette before the film explaining some of the methodology behind the production, and this information is essential to really understanding how awesome the whole thing is, so pay attention.
And yes, for you nerds out there – you did see some first person shooter sequences in the trailers in an obvious attempt to cash in on the popularity of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare video game franchise. There’s actually quite a few, so don’t be surprised if you hear this film being jokingly referred to as COD: The Movie by all your friends. It looks and feels like a live-action version of someone playing the game, right down to the sometimes cartoonish terrorist villains, but it’s also a savvy move by the filmmakers, because drawing the connection to the mega-popular franchise will certainly get some gamer’s butts in theater seats for a film that is somewhat flying under the radar.
This film should play strong to its core demographic of flag-waving midwestern America-types and will no doubt resonate with people that are in, or have family in, the military. The script is a bit too safe and at times feels a bit too much like propaganda, which will no doubt rub some people the wrong way who weren’t already sold on the subject material entering the theater. But Act of Valor‘s heart is in the right place and sincerely tries to show the skill and sacrifices these men make for our safety while also providing an entertaining movie. I also applaud the directors for trying something new with what would have been a pretty bland and generic military action flick if filmed like most Hollywood machismo films. The end result is a technically fascinating film that overcomes its weaknesses with originality and just enough heart and action to keep the audience invested for the entirety of its run time.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
SECOND OPINION
While the decision to cast active-duty Navy SEALs results in dialogue and character development falling by the wayside, the brisk pacing and incredible action sequences do more than balance the scales. The tactics are based on the everyday experiences of the SEAL team, and many of the scenes were shot with live ammunition for authenticity – and just to show you how truly badass these guys are. Full of white-knuckle intensity that feels all the more visceral because of its true life roots, Act of Valor is a fascinating experiment in filmmaking that hits the mark more often than not.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
— Brent