Act of Valor

Impressive acts of violence and appreciation for the attempted concept can’t completely save this military propaganda film.  A lazy story, poor line readings from the “stars” of the picture, unintelligible plot holes, and annoying first-person shooter camera styles give the viewer a sense they are watching a real-life Call of Duty video game.
Focusing on the flaws of the movie first, the plot of Act of Valor has been done a hundred times before, where a terrorist plot must be stopped before a bomb (in this case, group of suicide bombers) is detonated somewhere in the United States.  What was supposed to make this movie different was that every element of the story is taken from past Navy SEAL happenings and the audience could believe everything being done onscreen had taken place before, but with real lives on the line and wasn’t a scenario fabricated from the minds of screenwriters.  It also didn’t help that there is very little attention given to the personal lives of the story’s heroes, which results in not having much invested emotionally when the payoff at the end comes.
Another gimmick included in Act of Valor is the use of active-duty Navy SEAL commandos in starring roles rather than paid actors.  A lot of people have lampooned the acting and the criticism of those critiques is, “how can you berate their acting when they are portraying exactly who they are?”  Well, the simple answer to this is they are still reading lines off a page and those lines, while probably being as close to what is really said by these guys when in a real combat mission, is extremely stiff.  There is no authenticity to the performances outside of the action scenes and it just shouldn’t be the case because they aren’t supposed to be acting.  When you combine a plot found in several action movies prior to this one with poor “acting” it makes for a tough watch.
Surely with the military providing all this genuineness to make a great movie that will make us want to sign up for active duty at the nearest recruiting office we will get a glimpse into how SEAL teams not only prep for an assignment, are deployed into action, and execute any given mission, but also retrieve their information about where to find the bad guys.  Yet, it seems the military decided to hold back on certain details of how it uncovers its intel due to wanting to protect military secrets.  If Act of Valor is any indication to how easy it is for the U.S. military to gain access to when backroom meetings between villains and where terrorist attacks are going to take place, then finding and capturing Osama Bin Laden should have taken about three weeks following the 9/11 attacks.  I don’t mean to sound critical of our military because I am extremely proud of those who serve and what our government is doing to keep Americans protected, but I just can’t believe it is so easy to discover the most secretive plot details of potential terrorism plots in such a short time span as this film would make it seem.  There was just no effort put into letting the audience know how the government came about its information about dates and places of important plot points in the movie.  That is poor writing in my opinion.
Two more minor points of criticism before moving on to what I liked about the movie include my abhorrence of the first-person shooter view and insinuating how barbaric all enemies of our country are in times of war while we are the legion of decency when it comes to interrogation tactics.  A spoiler side note, I did find it somewhat asinine when you compare how the American spy is beaten, tortured, and on the verge of death but doesn’t give up any state secrets, yet the baddie of the movie gives up everything he knows without the use of violence altogether.
Regarding the good qualities of Act of Valor, the action sequences were some of the best seen in a war/action picture, especially the extraction scene at the beginning of the film.  Those alone give the film an uptick in its enjoyment.  The filmmakers gave up on the idea of finding actors who would be able to imitate what Navy SEALs go through during a mission and it is appreciated by the audience.  Watching these men bust down doors and sneak through criminal compounds is valued more than it would be if Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, Vin Diesel, and Sylvester Stallone were paid to do the same.  That extra bit of legitimacy goes a long way with viewers.  If only they could have made us believe they weren’t reading off of cue cards during the slower parts of the film.
Overall the movie isn’t great, but if you leave the theater not having more admiration for those serving in the military then you are dead inside and don’t deserve the freedom they are putting their lives on the line to uphold for you and me.  It might be patriotic propaganda, but it is entertaining propaganda.
Act of Valor earns a 6 out of 10.