Review of Act of Valor (2012) by Don S — 29 Mar 2014

This movie can be rated in two ways. If your looking for a movie with an original story, good acting, and something that isn't full of literally every war movie cliche then you won't like this. The main team of Navy Seals the movie follows are played by actual Navy Seals. Everyone around them are actors, so you can tell their dialogue sounds wooden.

The plot is based off of 3 actual missions that Seal teams have completed and woven together by a terrorist cell preparing to attack the U.S. The movie travels to Europe, the Phillipines, Africa, Mexico, and the South Pacific. It's a pretty basic, but it doesn't need to be any more complex.

However once the combat starts the film goes from eh to one of the best action movies there is. There are some really awesome moments where the camera will go into a first person view of one of the troops that can feel gimmicky, but also can add to the tension. There are also the slow mo explosions and soldiers diving out of the way just in time, but it all seems to work.

This isn't a great film, and considering it is an independent film that was shot on camera's you can buy at your local best buy it looks damn good. The use of live ammunition and actual Navy Seals is a gimmick but the film still worked for me. I was ready to wave an American Flag around the streets of New York by the time the credits rolled.