War, as most of us hopefully know, is not a pretty thing. The history of the human race is filled with many iconic battles, territorial wars & moments of just grizzling blood shed. Many films and documentaries have been made to create a visual experience of such conflicts, with many such as Black Hawk Down & Saving Private Ryan going on to become some of the most iconic films in motion picture history. Just when you thought war films had reached a certain peak, they got stepped up.
Act of Valor is a new war film written by 300 screenplay writer Kurt Johnstad & directed by Mike McCoy & Scott Waugh from Bandito Brothers Productions. The film is about a Navy SEAL squad that goes on a covert operation to rescue a CIA Officer by the name of Morales (Roselyn Sánchez), who has been kidnapped by an international drug-dealer Christo (Alex Veadov), only to unravel a terrorist operation that aims to strike American citizens across the country.
Sounds like a pretty standard film, right? It’s standard up-to the point when you find out that the Navy SEAL’s in this movie are real. Yes, you heard it correctly. Act of Valor features real active-duty Navy SEAL’s as well as U.S. Navy Special Warfare Combatant Crewman (SWCC). In 2007, McCoy & Waugh had developed video footage for the SWCC & through their experiences did the inspiration for this movie come about. However, through production, they realized that no actor could emotionally & physically portray a Navy SEAL. That was when real Navy SEAL’s, those who were originally brought on as consultants, were cast in the film. That was probably the best decision McCoy & Waugh made.
Having active-duty Navy SEAL’s has given realism to this film in a way that has never been done before. You are immediately taken in by these young men who actually showcase a high level of respect and love for one another. What was most surprising were their performances; for individuals who don’t have any acting background, they performed brilliantly! You are not for one second wandering how hard the actor is working to accomplish his role or what he must have done to do what he did. These are individuals who, for a living, dive into the trenches of warfare to fight for our piece of mind, and that dedication to their job can be seen clearly on screen.
When a movie couldn’t get more epic, McCoy & Waugh went on and added live ammunition. Almost every scene you watch, real bullets are being used. That not only adds to each individual moment but makes the whole experience amazing. You don’t have to think “oh thats fake”. Its not. Its real bullets coming out of real guns fired by real Navy SEAL’s. You are just taken in by what you see on screen. Some of the action sequences are rather new to this genre of film. One quite amazing addition is the camera angle from the perspective of the soldier. Its the same experience you get when playing Battlefield 3, Call of Duty or any first-person shooter. You are put into a position where you are going to experience first-hand what the solider is going to experience and that adds a very refreshing dimension to the film.
The one thing that really stands out is the tone of the overall film. Usually, background music & cinematic effects would be used to enhance the feel in each scene. That is obviously present but not in an overwhelming way. This film allows the performances of each character to shine, truly bringing out that level of emotion you would expect from a war operation, rather than being covered over by some cheesy background music. This film truly does what it has set out to do: Honor soldiers and their sacrifices to their country.
This is by no means the best movie ever made. The story could have been more refined, some transitions between scenes were not particularly brilliantly and some sequences were either too long or too short. Of course, that’s just being nit-picky on the films various cinematic elements. What this film does properly is give you a movie experience unlike any other. You sit there watching not actors but actual soldiers do what they do and you cannot help but be taken into the story. What McCoy & Waugh have done is make a movie that gives you an opportunity to reflect on people that we just don’t pay enough attention to. This is a movie experience that you just have to watch to truly understand.
Act of Valor is distributed by Alliance Films and opens in theater’s across Canada on February 24th 2012.
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Performed “brilliantly”? Did I see a different movie? The acting in this movie is awful. Any non action scene with the real SEALs in it was awkardly terrible. You know what written dialogue sounds like when delivered by non-actors? Flat, boring, and fake.
The film even had the gall to try and get a cheap emotional rise out of the audience, killing the character with a young wife and baby on the way. Tell me again, why am I supposed to care about a character with little characterization, who has spent the entire film emotionlessly reciting dialogue that sounds as if it was being read directly off a piece of paper?
It’s a shame, because the action scenes were great and the actual actors did a fine job.
Hey. Thanks for commenting. I respect your opinion on it. However, when you look at a movie like this that has non-actors, I looked at them as non-actors. It be unfair to judge them based on people with acting training. Their chemistry works, as they are working together in real life and their on screen performance delivers. I did say its not the best made movie. Far away from that. I do however think it is a great experience. You are left with something to think about that isn’t seen in other films. It is a platform that people can build from. I judge a movie on all elements – whats the budget, whats the premise, whats unique, etc. It delivers on the majority. Had they given the SEALs acting training or taken their time – this would have rivaled some of the greater war films. The intention for this film was delivered – was it the best, no. It however was a great experience. Its my opinion; just saying.