SummaryWhen a mission to recover a kidnapped CIA operative unexpectedly results in the discovery of an imminent, terrifying global threat, an elite team of highly trained Navy SEALs must immediately embark on a heart-stopping secret operation, the outcome of which will determine the fate of us all. Act of Valor combines stunning combat sequence...
SummaryWhen a mission to recover a kidnapped CIA operative unexpectedly results in the discovery of an imminent, terrifying global threat, an elite team of highly trained Navy SEALs must immediately embark on a heart-stopping secret operation, the outcome of which will determine the fate of us all. Act of Valor combines stunning combat sequence...
The best I can say is that I was never bored, although I was never overwhelmed, either. There are enough small things to keep it interesting even when many of the big things fail.
Whether this movie was intended to be a recruiting tool or not, I walked away from this film with a greater appreciation for our armed forces. The acting was not the best, which is understandable coming from active duty Navy Seals. In the middle of the action there is no time for emotions and character development, there is only time for survival. That is exactly what this movie is, action and survival. Go America!
Someone once asked Chuck Norris what he thought of David Carradine as martial artist. Chuck replied that David was as good a martial artist as he was an actor. So true but for those of us who rightfully respect the skill set that these men posses, we would rather see Seals acting as Seals than Tom Cruise acting as a Seal.
Act of Valor will likely earn high praise from combat veterans and their families, the way movies like "Fireproof" and "Seven Days in Utopia" resonate with Christians. Civilians, movie critics and certainly pacifists won't be nearly as impressed.
The action beats come straight out of the video game "Call of Duty." And when you have real SEALs placed in a picture that lives and dies on the same old first-person-shooter aesthetic, you have a film divided against itself.
A movie whose cinematic ineptitude is matched only by its ideological rottenness, Act of Valor features a cast of real-life active-duty Navy SEALS in order to grant the project's us-versus-them geopolitical worldview a sham moral authority.
I thought this movie was absolutely fantastic and by far the most realistic military movie I've ever seen (and I've seen just about all of them). The movie does a great job of using the little details to separate itself from most others and the acting is a lot better than the critics claim it to be. Act of Valor also does a good job of reinforcing the idea that the Navy Seals is an elite operating unit, not a fake one-man band. As for this movie not receiving good reviews from the critics, remember, these are the same good-for-nothing movie goers that think their opinion equals reality and who thought a **** cowboy movie and some cheesy silent film deserved Academy Awards. If you want the most realistic portrayal of the military and are tired of needless overdone action, this movie is for you. If you want "artistic" bullcrap, don't waste your time because this movie doesn't cater to people looking to ignore reality.
Upon reading other's reviews of the movie, there're a few more comments I absolutely must make.
1) For people who think cliche equals fake and unoriginal: How do you think things became cliche to begin with? Almost all cliches have a foundation of reality and being that this movie is all about reality, that's to be expected.
2) For those who were bored with the movie because there weren't enough bullets and explosions: Go back to playing Call of Duty and watching unrealistic action movies.
3) Speaking of Call of Duty, for those who think the movie copied Call of Duty by using first-person views for a few short sequences: Why do you think most shooters are done in a first-person perspective? Video games use first-person to try to make the experience as realistic and immersive as possible. If a movie wants to make the viewing experience as realistic as possible, it makes sense that this is a film tactic they would use.
4) For those who thought the acting wasn't great: I agree, Russell Crowe and Christian Bale were not the leads for this movie. The acting of the SEALs was not fantastic but to say it was terrible would be inaccurate. Also, if you actually expected Navy SEALs to have Oscar worthy performances, you're a fool.
NOTE: After seeing this movie again, I thought it was even better than I did before. Considering that I rated it a 10/10 the first time around, obviously I think very highly of this film. Something I didn't mention before that needs mentioning is how overwhelming I thought the ending was emotionally. This movie shows how much our soldiers sacrifice for our everyday freedoms that we take for granted. Their sacrifice is not lost in my eyes. Thank you for all you do for us!
Active US Navy Seals kicking terrorist butt. Far better than I thought it would be. Cheesy lines, bad acting, and semi-lame storyline bring this movie down. Can't expect superb acting from Navy Seal guys though I guess. Action scenes are very realistic, breathtaking, and really really awesome. Not the greatest action movie, but good if you are wanting to watch something for simple entertainment value that also does not involve a lot of thinking, this is an option.
P.S - The movie screams propaganda as well, but it aint no walk in the park to become a Navy Seal!
Honestly, this was a pretty weak film. I appreciate the realistic missions and action sequences, but the plot got muddled after a while and the poor acting and mediocre script didn't help.
Act of Valor, an action film starring actual navy seals, may have worked as the recruitment film it was originally intended to be, but as cinema? Not so much. My expectations for the standard of acting I was to see was pretty low and that expectation was met, with barely any pull dramatically from the men on screen. I can't really blame them, though, but filmgoers shouldn't have to forgive anyone for anything. It is basically the film equivalent of something that would come from the group that brought us 'Courageous', but in regards to the military rather than Christianity. Both films are sufficient technically, but are only for a specific group of people. The worst aspect of Act of Valor is that it never once comes off as genuine. The banter between the navy seals is just unbearably unauthentic and the action seems to be stylized like a POV shot from a Call of Duty game. There is one breakthrough cool moment near the middle of the film where a guard is shot in the head, then as he falls to the water, a pair of hands reach out to catch him from making a splash so as to alert the other guards. But the rest of the movie is dull, filled with unintentional funny moments ('this film is based off of real acts of valor' Bwahahaha!!) and populated with wooden characters.