Act of Valor
CAST
Active Duty U.S. Navy Seals
RATING
R
RELEASE
February 24, 2012
DIRECTOR(S)
Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh\
STUDIO
Relativity Media
RUNNING TIME
1 hour 48 minutes
STARS
***1/2
REVIEW:
Do you ever wonder who helps keep
America a safe and "perfect" place from terrorist threats and acts
that may come our way? If you ask both adults and kids, they will say the
army and the soldiers. However the difference between an adult and a kid
is that kids only see these adults, sometimes even their parents, as people
trying to save the world and be heroes. Adults and teenagers 12-18
especially know that there is more bloodshed that you want to think about, as
well as they fear that they may never see their recruited loved one again.
Sometimes kids in the 12-18 range forget about all of the emotion and
just enjoy killing others in the 'Call of Duty' games. With 'Act of
Valor,' audiences don't just get a war movie, they get an experience.
Unlike typical war films like 'Red Tails' and 'Battle: Los
Angeles,' 'Act of Valor' takes us into the world of a group of real life
U.S. Navy Seals attempting to stop a terrorist act from pulling through.
What is so unique about the movie is that first time directors Mike McCoy
and Scott Waugh decided to use real active duty U.S. Navy Seals to be in the
film, with the added factor of no major celebrities being in the film as well.
This is one of the boldest film projects to have been made in the past
couple of years, and the final result is intense, heartbreaking, and pretty
great. 'Act of Valor' is a very well done war movie that moviegoers
should be seeking out this weekend.
Because the actors in the film are
the real U.S. Navy Seals, the performances weren't the highest in quality.
In fact, they kind of sucked. However if you're going to bash on
this movie just for the actors solely, then I say shame on you, because these
guys aren't even professional actors to begin with. The movie was made to
show the emotion and tension that goes along with war, and I believe that that
mission has been accomplished. You see the soldiers spending last nights
with their families, as well as the moments where the soldiers say goodbye,
realizing that they may never see their loved ones again. The emotions
can get even higher when you see these brave men in combat. The action
sequences performed by the soldiers are absolutely spectacular. Not only
do they engage you into the action, but they also let you see exactly what a
Seal is seeing. It was kind of like watching a first person shooting game
go down on a huge movie screen. However unlike a video game, the injuries and
gore in this movie look very realistic. If there is any given reason to
actually see this movie, it's for the action sequences. If you can get
over the crappy acting done by the soldiers, then the action scenes will
unquestionably take your breath away.
I have a feeling that 'Act of Valor'
will surprise the audiences who are brave to check this movie out. This
is going to be that hidden gem that people ignore until DVD where the true
experience should be in a theater. Sure the acting isn't the best it
could be with professional men and women, but that doesn't matter here because
there is both a compelling story based on real life events that have happened
to the Seals before, as well as some of the most spectacular action sequences
you will see all year. Directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh really know
how to bring you into the action and heartbreak in the lives of these brave men
of the U.S. Even though they aren't the greatest of actors, the U.S. Navy
Seals are great heroes to root for throughout the movie, and that's not just
because we live in America.
Whether you know someone who is in the Army
or you have sat in front of a TV shooting virtual terrorists, this movie will
make you feel the pain that these families go through on a daily basis.
The whole "actors are real U.S. Navy Seals" promotional
campaign may be gimmicky, but once you sit down with your popcorn and soda in
hand, you are in for quite an experience. I bet that I won't remember
'Act of Valor' very well by the end of the year. Having said that, I can
say now that this is a well done, action packed, heartbreaking war movie.
Check it out if you can, because odds are this will be booted out of
theaters in the next few weeks.
Another good review, Zach. Many people seem to be bashing this one. While I won't rush to see this film (its not even playing in UK theatres), I would not mind checking it out sometime.
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