REVIEW: Act of Valor

The action in this film is great. The use of real Navy Seals is effective for the action sequences because you become involved with the film in a way you normally wouldn't in a typical action film. The Seals portrayed are for the most part real Navy Seals, however they also are accompanied by trained actors. The moments when the real Seals interact with trained actors is where film suffers most.

The digital cinematography was one of the main reasons why I went to see this film(and the cool teaser trailer). A majority of the film's action sequences were shot with Canon's 5D Mark II. It's obvious when the 5D was used instead of a regular High Definition camera, but still it is a feat for a feature of this scale to use a camera like this for the majority of the film. It is a testament of how far filmmaking has truly come. 100 years ago guerrilla filmmaking of this style was practically non-existent. D.W. Griffith was just beginning to shoot his magnum opus Birth of A Nation. Now anyone with a cell phone can shoot and make movies.

Canon 5D Mark II in action.

The film has obviously been influenced by recent first person shooters like Call of Duty. What people fail to realize is the simple fact that these games have all been influenced by actual combat, so at the end of the day the influence is irrelevant. I only mention it because the film uses a large amount of "first person" sequences. Initially this effect is welcome because it's different. However the film abuses this effect and as a result it feels lazy and a distraction.

The film should have stayed as what it was initially designed as, a short recruiting tool for the Navy Seals. It is apparent that Directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh attempted to make up a realistic plot that would nicely coincide with the films staged but realistic action sequences. As a result the plot becomes noticeable and predictable. The plot becomes a vehicle for the Seals to be thrown into new action sequences, which is never a good thing.

Act of Valor suffers most during these sequences. In order for plot to progress there have to be moments of down time where the film can settle down, or else you have a mess like Transformers. In these scenes, the Navy Seals display that their main purpose in life is to fight not act. Certain serious acts play out comically because of the horrid acting. To be fair, these men fight and defend our country and as a result I do not expect them to be on the level of Robert De Niro, however I must be critical of everything on the screen. However there is one redeeming scene in which a commanding officer interrogates a high valued terror suspect. The scene is acted very well and supplied one of the best dramatic moments of the entire film.

Act of Valor is heavy on action and light on plot, even though it tries to be deep in both aspects. When the Seals are doing what they do best the film works well, however when Hollywood seeps in, the film ultimately falls flat on its face. Overall this film may work for the Call of Duty crowd but simply does not work well enough for me to wholeheartedly recommend.

2.5/4 Muffin