Review of Act of Valor (2012) by Marcdoyle — 01 Mar 2012

I'm a fan of shows like The Unit which portray these teams in a tangible, realistic light, and I've always been intrigued by the documentaries chronicling BUDs training. I had somewhat modest expectations for this film based on what the pro critics had to say, but this sucker is exciting - easily surpassing my expectations.

Sure, it's a little too buttoned-up in terms of the story, but it does a really nice job of characterizing the moment-to-moment professionalism of these operators. The fact that actual SEALs are involved in and starring in the film helps to assure the moviegoer that it's authentic stuff - not juiced up or fundamentally compromised for the cameras.

I appreciate that the filmmakers name all of the operators lost since 9/11 at the end of the film - especially Master-at-Arms Second Class Michael Monsoor, who was awarded the CMH for an incredibly selfless act which is portrayed - in a general sense - in this film.