Act of Valor (2012)

I can now see why the reviews here are so mixed.

It's a uber-realistic but Hollywood-style portrayal of war, gore, blood and everything. The brutality of war is masked in the "awesomeness" of war machines, brothers in arms clichés, and heavy duty shooting action.

At times you're not sure if you indeed watching a US army recruitment video, as some have said here.

At times you feel like it's a B-class action flick.

At times you feel like it's an adrenalin filled CGI-effect demovideo, or maybe even like playing Call of Duty on your XBox.

As I am someone who likes movies a lot, especially action movies, who has been in the army, and who lives in Europe, it doesn't make much sense.

Fmovies: Excellent movie. If you remember that these are not paid actors you will appreciate how well this movie was made. Really brings things into perspective of how the Seals operate. Fast action, lots of shooting and explosions, and the first person shooter game feel is quite interesting too. Warning, if you are seeing a movie about war, Navy Seals and shooting people, DON'T be surprised to see people being shot, blood and various other aspects of war violence (had to say that since someone that went with me was surprised). I will definitely be buying this as soon as it is available. But just like another reviewer said, go see it in the theaters, you won't be disappointed.

I had the chance to screen this movie months ago, though the movie was in the final stage and needed a few tweaks I couldn't have been more happy with how it turned out. I am a son of a true Navy Seal, the stories that I heard my father tell when growing up all seemed to be written from a script. There hasn't been a movie that has portrayed the life of a Seal and his family that accurately points out how hard things really are. I am very happy that I had the chance to view this film, it has enabled me to see some of the good and bad situations my father and his Seal friends could have and have been involved in; along the precession that is required of them. For those that have voted this down because of the acting, you knew going into it who the actors are, also this is not a movie about acting, it's a story about the lives of Navy Seals, it just so happens that they get to show you great action clips of what things are really like.

Act of Valor fmovies. The action scenes in this movie seemed so unbelievably real. I never left the edge of my seat, and I will watch it over and over again when it comes out in theaters. It is very impressive watching real SEAL's do what they do rather than some Hollywood hero popping cheesy smiles and corny lines. I imagine the critics will hit this movie based on the seals acting - but if so, they are missing the point. Movies are about connecting with people by bringing them into the action - that is exactly what Act of Valor does. It gives you an inside look at what a group of extraordinary men do for this country, without needing actors to accomplish it. Amazing.

Don't let 'poor flat acting' reviews fool you - This is an EXCELLENT movie.

First of all whoever thought of "Let's train Seal's to be actors" vs "Let's train actors to play Seals" was a genius. Because they obviously did it the right way - putting them through a boat load of on screen training, and getting them to a place where they were very comfortable in front of the camera - cuz they are far from horrible.

True, no Russell Crowe or Denzel comparisons should be made, but the stars didn't ruin the film - they made it.

Heartwrenching. Bold. Un-Hollywood. Gritty. This movie takes you in to a world many idealize in a way that simultaneously shows you how cool it truly is, as well as how mind-bogglingly impossible it is for just anyone to do it.

The mental, emotional, and moral swings of chaos these guys have to stay professional in is crazy. Ultra realism, with a potent emotional message I did not expect to be so moved and effected by towards the end - that took it from a solid 8 star action flick - to a 10 star eyebrow-raiser!

There's something conveyed in the human soul that just resides in an actors presence. Unless they inhabit the role with their very cells (like Heath in the Dark Knight) something's off about it. These guys do that, instinctively, they are frekin Navy Seals for God's sake! No lies can be told when they're up there.

Solid, solid flick that's gonna stay with me for awhile - wow I get it, let's honor the troops...

If you've ever wanted to know what Call of Duty: The Movie would be like then look no further than Act of Valor, the action packed war film featuring active duty Navy Seals as some of the main characters. It's the story of a team of Seals who go on a covert mission to rescue a kidnapped CIA agent from terrorists. It's an extremely patriotic love letter to the armed forces, a film that shows undying respect for these brave men and women, romanticizing their valiant efforts overseas. It feels more like a recruitment video than a film, and I think it might have been better off as one instead.

Act of Valor is a film that wants to be intense, super cool, and also profound. However, it's profundities are incredibly shallow and all of the observations the film makes on war are nothing new, and provide no new insight into war. But as far as intense and super cool goes, Act of Valor accomplishes that more than anything else. It's one giant firefight after another, exemplifying the blaze of glory that the Seals fight within. It's a finely polished and explosively grand picture of modern warfare.

But if you're looking for any kind of story, characters, or halfway decent dialogue then Act of Valor is not what you want. I said before that the film stars actual Navy Seals, so it should be expected that the acting will be dreadful... and it is. But I can easily forgive this. However, what I can't forgive is the paper thin story that is devoid of all substance, as well as the pathetically dry dialogue. The script is beyond awful with incredibly cheesy and lifeless dialogue and a terribly empty story that most certainly, perhaps even deliberately, takes a back seat to the visual spectacle aspect of Act of Valor.

All in all the story is practically non-existent here and the only thing this film has going for it is it's patriotism and firefights. But even the fighting gets a little tedious with it's overuse of the shaky cam and first person video game style camera work that gets overused to the point where it's almost gimmicky. I won't deny that Act of Valor is pretty cool and it certainly makes one proud to be an American, but I cannot say that it's a good film. It's a definite dud and there is little point in seeing this film, especially if you value story, characters, and dialogue.