Act of Valor - Movie Review

A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to see Act of Valor - the action movie starring active-duty Navy Seals.  I enjoy a good shoot-em-up action flick, and that's just what this is.  If your theatrical tastes tend towards 2 hours of non-stop action, check it out.  If you're looking for Citizen Kane, don't bother.

I've never been a gung-ho uber-patriot who thinks "our guys" are always right - honest, loyal, and true.  I admire our service men and women, but recognize we have our share of less than perfect soldiers.  That being said, the Navy Seals are like real-life super heroes.  If anything, this fictional story pales in comparison to the real-life assault on Osama Bin Laden's compound last year.  While I was watching the movie, I kept thinking, "This would be totally unbelievable, if I didn't know about Bin Laden". 

The movie plot revolves around the rescue of a captured spy (Roselyn Sanchez) in South America.  During the rescue, the team uncovers evidence of a terrorist plot aimed at the United States.  The rest of the movie follows the team's pursuit of the terrorists and their leaders.  Is the plot realistic?  I don't know, but the action feels real, and it certainly keeps your attention while it's happening.  Face it, you don't go to this movie for the plot, character development, or scenery.  This movie is about action, special effects, and patriotism.  On those fronts, it's a success.

As I mentioned, the action is virtually non-stop.  I didn't make any attempt to count the bodies, but they had to add up to quite a number.  The special effects - nothing ground-breaking here - don't distract from the action.  You'll have to decide if it's realistic, but it's certainly easier to think these guys can take out the terrorists than John McClane in Die Hard.  There's a lot of violence, but nothing too graphic - the torture scene early in the movie is largely off-screen.  You'll get to know the characters only superficially, but you'll identify with them and care about what happens to them.  There's a little humor, but not much - mostly you'll just have periods of intense action, followed by short stretches that move the plot along and allow you to catch your breath before the next firefight.

What stops this from being a great action movie is the thing that makes it unique - the stars are active duty Seals (they don't even list their full names in the credits).  Their performances are better than I would suspect, given their backgrounds, but they're not asked to do much.  The dialog is limited, and the plot, as I said above, is limited.  It's just not that kind of movie.  I made a reference to Die Hard above, but in reality, there's no comparison.  The action in the two movies is roughly comparable, but Die Hard has a more complex plot, better character development, and better acting (even with Bruce Willis).  Die Hard isn't a great movie, but it's a really good action movie.  Act of Valor is a decent action movie, but doesn't measure up to to the better examples of this genre.  Go see it, have a great time, be proud of our service men and women.  You won't buy it, and you won't watch it every time it's on TV, but you'll have a great time and walk out of the theater feeling proud and positive about our country.  If you're like me, you'll be glad these guys are on our team!