Act of Valor , a “War on terror” action thriller, captures and conveys the skills, dedication and bravery of the Navy SEALS. The movie was still impressive and inspiring while simultaneously maintaining its “big blockbuster” appearance.
Directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh, the film is a product of McCoy’s documentary background with Waugh’s Hollywood blockbuster background. The basis of the movie is to show how the active duty Navy SEALs routinely put their lives and families at risk while carrying out dangerous, clandestine assignments.
What’s unique about the film is that it stars eight active Navy SEALs, along with a handful of professional actors, with the real SEALs playing dramatized versions of themselves because for security reasons they cannot be identified by name. This blend of real-life heroism and original filmmaking is surprisingly effective.
The narrative is inspired by the true events of contemporary global anti-terrorism efforts involving these elite, highly-trained warriors who undergo a covert operation to rescue CIA operative Lisa Morales (Roselyn Sanchez), who has been kidnapped and sent away to the Philippines by an international drug dealer named Christo (Alex Veadov).
During the rescue, the SEALs discover a deadly terrorist plot against the US, so a team of SEALs is assigned to undertake a coordinated attack that represents a life-or-death threat to thousands of American citizens.
The shaky-cam-shot will certainly enhance the already sparkling reputation of the SEALs and also deserves to be respected as an action flick. McCoy and Waugh wisely play to their strengths while script writer Kurt Johnstad smoothly takes us from one action set piece to another.
The movie smartly uses shots and edits scenes to create an energetic yet authoritative movie and manages to generate considerable suspense.
Ultimately, Act of Valor shows a bit of propaganda, as it is clearly a recruitment video and all indications are that it’s been successful in that regard, but it manages to meet the big blockbuster action-thriller expectations that it set out to.
