Act of Valor

That's right, Act of Valor. Though it does not get officially released for two more weeks, I was able to view this film tonight. It appears The Jester is a Real critic, or he just knows the right people. Anyway, I treat you tonight in hopes that you can contrive whether or not you feel like watching this film, that to me, seems like a labor of love more than anything for the people who made it. The hook this film has going for it is that all the "actors" are active duty Navy Seals, so as the audience, we are suppose to believe this is as real as it gets. Well, as skeptical as I was that actual Seals were able to film a movie while being active duty, I still wondered. Within the first five minutes of dialog between the two main characters, I realized, Hmm maybe they weren't fibbing. These guys CANNOT act!!! It seems they barely know how to speak to each other. This had me worried. I had no real idea of any of the plot points, but all I could focus on was the horrible delivery of words. Luckily it got better. This film has several things it made me think of. It does have good production quality, but it feels like the TV show "Human Target" at first, and then quickly guides its way into Jack Bauer territory. Let me explain further without giving much away. We meet our Seal team and then they receive a mission. An extraction of a "Person of Interest". Once target is acquired, the bigger picture comes to light leading into the real mission. The way Act of Valor is selling itself is all based on the action it delivers, but in my opinion, they should really start to market the plot. It is very solid. I feel the way I'm going to sell this to you (readers) is going to have very little to do with the plot. I have said it is solid and it flows extremely well. Way Better than I expected it could. The way I'm gonna sell it is all based on visual stimuli. I don't know if my emotions are too heavily invested due to the military man (Hey Bro) in my family, but this may be the greatest action film of all time. The way it is shot and pieced together is second to none. The intensity it puts out will make you quiver to your core. Most of us cannot imagine what its like to be a soldier in battle, but if Valor is at least 25% of what it shows us, then we should all have a pretty good idea of what it may actually be like. There were times it got so intense I found myself chewing my hair. Now I have a bald spot where I used to have beard. Ya, it's that good. That tactics displayed are not Hollywood glorified, and though I didn't fathom what these guys do, it certainly seems like the number one military in the world would institute these tactics. I mentioned earlier how the film was shot. Imagine a seasoned director who could use so many camera angles that are perfect. Now, mix those in with "X" number of soldiers wearing helmet cams. This is called the POV shot or Point of View. The nerds would call it "First Person Gamer." Always staring down the barrel of your weapon is what we get. To shoot an entire film that way would be hard for the audience to watch. I would say they used the POV for about 20% of the final cut and that paired with regular camera angles made one beautiful film. It felt like a documentary at times and I mean that in a good way. Why do we love documentaries? Because they are Real. This feels real. No or low music during the ops help with the intensity. All we hear are the men breathing. Good stuff These guys are the best at what they do, and Valor shows what they can do. I mentioned earlier these guys couldn't act. Well, when you put them in full gear, shouting commands, taking orders, falling in and doing what they are trained to do, Well, it's flawless. It seems so fluid. It was really hard for these guys to simply talk to each other in front of a camera, but when it comes to their task, there is no better than The Navy Seals. When it was over I was left with so many emotions, and I think it will be different for everyone. This is the best Military movie I have ever seen. No cheesy speeches (That we inevitably love), Top notch action, a Great plot that will hit close to home with anyone who watches this, and some very Heart tugging moments. If you don't get the slightest bit emotional, you are not human. I don't care whether it's Happy, Sad, Angry, Depressed...This film will make you feel something. I am disappointed the film makers released in the month when the least amount of movies are viewed, but at least by June, you should be able to rent it/Own it.
Direction - Work of Art
Acting- Good to Phenomenal (The Bearded commander is Great at acting and he has the best scene in the film)
Action- Work of Art
Story-Phenomenal
NBM rates Act of Valor - A Work of Cinematic Art