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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-.

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