When I heard about Act of Valor, I was a bit skeptical about the idea of a movie following Navy SEALs around on a mission. However, when I figured out that most of the main cast was made up of actors, I felt like this would be something worth seeing.
Going into this movie I didn’t really know what to expect – real Navy SEALs running around killing people, or horrible, hammed-up acting to try to raise box office sales – but from the moment things got rolling, I knew I was in for a good time. I was actually very impressed with this film overall, despite a few moments that left me thinking, “you’ve got to be kidding me.”
The plot is simple: a team of SEALs are on a mission to rescue a kidnapped CIA officer as well as taking down a group of terrorists who are planning to attack America. Throughout the movie, it’s difficult to tell who is an actor and who is actually military personnel because they all did a great job of maintaining a level of seriousness.
In the film, there are scenes that show just what these terrorists are working with and how it works, and for normal citizens, this can be thought provoking. These terrorists have lightweight bombs that use no metal and cannot be detected by metal detectors. I fear that these scenes don’t stray far from the truth of the situation we currently face and that can be a scary thought.
The action scenes were great to witness and the producers of this film did a fantastic job of keeping the action authentic; If somebody was killed, you had to stop and wonder if what you just saw was real. The cinematography would often switch over to a first-person-shooter-style which gave the film a very “Call of Duty” feel at times.
One of the best points in the movie, in my opinion, is when military operatives interrogate one of the leaders of the terrorist organizations. The level of tact and finesse used in this scene makes an audience member ask, “just how does the military handle situations like this?”
By the end of the film, you’ve followed this SEAL unit through one serious mission full of dramatic ups and down, and things come to a close. As someone who has had the privilege of attending a military funeral, seeing that flag being folded is a powerful moment that can bring tears to your eyes.