When I was in college, I had a personal trainer who was a Navy Seal. He was in between deployments and was working at my gym to make some extra cash. He was blunt, to-the-point, and incredibly proficient. He was also an incredible man that I felt honored to have met. Now I have seen a movie entitled Act of Valor that follows a detachment of Navy Seals as they track down a terrorist cell seeking to sneak suicide bombers into America through Mexico. The movie's key selling point is that the actors were actual, active-duty Navy Seals. I have to say that I feel that Act of Valor does a wonderful job respecting those brave men and women in uniform. Many critics felt like the plot was too simplistic and/or jingoistic in nature. I didn't get that impression at all. The film is about Men on a Mission. There was no room for politics. I found that the action scenes were incredibly well done. They focused on more than just running and gunning and took the time to demonstrate how combat missions actually play out. My favorite was an early sequence in Costa Rica where they had to infiltrate a compound, get a hostage, and get back out. The filmmakers demonstrated incredible restraint by not forcing the action and let it evolve organically. Every big action sequence takes place in a different location and the filmmakers did an impressive job making every single one distinct. The jungle mission was about stealth, the at-sea mission was about surprise, and the climactic Mexico mission was about urban warfare. Act of Valor is a well-crafted, emotional film. The ending involves a funeral. As cliched as it may be, it feels earned instead of exploitative. In fact, the same can be said for the whole film.
7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment