Skip to main content

Act of Valor

Starring:  Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano, and SEAL team 7
Directed by: Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh
Screenplay by: Kurt Johnstad

    We all wonder what really goes on with the most elite forces in the US military, the Navy SEALS.  Now, we see just what one of their operations is like.
    A CIA operative has been captured in Costa Rica, and it's up to this team of elite soldiers to rescue her. At first, it's just a simple rescue operation, but soon they find that it's just one part of a bigger, scarier, and far more important operation.  
    The film gives a great deal of insight into what these covert operations are like.  It shows the intricacy and delicacy of both planning and executing a mission better than just about any other movie with a similar subject.  Sometimes it is possible to become lost and not know what they are talking about, especially in the execution phase of the mission because they communicate using military terms, and some of them are kind of confusing.  
    I like the cinematography of the film.  The best shots are the first person shots.  These shots give us a good idea of what the soldier is seeing during the operation.  And in a way, it's kind of like watching somebody play "Call of Duty", or any other first person shooter game.  It also makes us feel like we're part of the action.
    My problem with the film is that it shows more of the planning stages of the operation than the actual execution of the mission.  It made me wonder where the story was headed at some parts.
    I like that one of the soldiers narrates part of the story throughout the movie.  It makes us feel a little more connected to the characters, and especially the narrator.
    The end of the film is a tear jerker.  I won't lie, I almost cried at the end.  I don't want to tell you what happens at the end because either you can probably guess what happens, or just want to see it for yourself, something I recommend.
     Overall, this is an average war movie.  The film isn't brilliantly executed, but it seems like that's not really the point of the film.  It feels like a movie that we would go see to support the troops who fight for our freedom.  So, if you support them, then go see this movie and honor what they do.
     I give Act of Valor a B-.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hunger Games

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth Directed by: Gary Ross Screenplay by: Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins      If reality television hasn't gone too far yet, then this show should definitely make it go too far.      In a futuristic nation called Panem, one boy and one girl are selected from each of the nation's twelve districts to represent them in an annual television event called the Hunger Games.  Of the 24 contestants, only one will survive in this televised fight to the death.      I like the concept of the story.  While this futuristic society seems somewhat simple, it does not seem all that well developed.  It is unknown how this society came into being, even though it is known how the Hunger Games began.      If this film were released last year, I would have hoped it would be nominated for best make-up.  Many of the characters ...
2 comments
Read more

Transformers: The Last Knight

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Laura Haddock, Isabela Moner, Anthony Hopkins, and Stanley Tucci Directed by: Michael Bay Screenplay by: Art Marcum and Matt Holloway      Does it ever feel like certain things are just getting old now?  Like, they're not even fun anymore? That's how I feel about Transformers: The Last Knight, the fifth installment of the Transformers series that Michael Bay has said is his last (even though there will be more of these movies).      Optimus Prime ( Peter Cullen) is gone.  He has left to go find his makers and see what is left of the planet Cybertron after being ravaged by war between the autobots and the decepticons.  While there he is seduced by a weird transformer sorceress named Quintessa (Gemma Chan) and changes his name to Nemesis Prime.  She convinces him that in order for Cybertron to live once again, Earth must die.  So like an asteroid speeding towards a point of gravity, Cyber...
Post a Comment
Read more

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Starring: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Cobie Smulders, and Robert Redford Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo Screenplay by: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely      And here we have the newest installment of the Avengers series.  While I don't believe it is mandatory to watch The Avengers before watching this film, I strongly recommend it for some background information that you might not have otherwise.  Certainly watch the Captain America: The First Avenger before this film.      Let me begin by saying that Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) is a really awesome 95 year old.  He currently lives in Washington, D.C. working for SHIELD, whose headquarters, the Triskelion is just across the Potomac River from D.C.  He is called on a mission to rescue a SHIELD vessel in the Indian Ocean that's been taken over by Algerian pirates.  Onboard, he finds Natasha Romanoff, ...
Post a Comment
Read more