Let me start by saying I hate video games like Battlefield and Call Of Duty. I play to relax and escape, and these games, with their focus on ultra realism (one shot kills, you have to conserve your ammo, and manage your team mates), don't hold any appeal for me. That, and the first and last time I played Battlefield I got killed 10 times in as many minutes. Anyway, the reason for that seemingly random statement is that these games' fan base more than likely make up a large bulk of Act Of Valor's, with it's casting of real Navy Seals in the main roles and use of first person perspectives in the action scenes, target audience. Working from this brief, it ticks all the boxes. As an action movie for someone with no idea of thing one about the games, it's fun, but bumpy, ride.
Starting life as a promotional video for the U.S. Navy, the film follows a team of U.S. Navy Seals, a special forces unit of the Navy, as they uncover a plot by a Chechen terrorist to launch an attack on America. That's pretty much for the plot, save for the friendship between the leader of the Seal team and his second-in-command. Populating the cast with real Seal team members is one of the main strengths of the movie, but also it's biggest weakness. The acting is very clunky in the scenes which don't involve copious amounts of gunfire and explosions, and a cheesy voice over extolling the virtues of honour and doing all you can for your country feels intrusive. We don't get much of a feel for the characters either, so much so I can't even remember their names beyond Seal No. 1, Seal No.2 etc. Also the military speak had me lost on one than more occasion.
Where this movie excels is in the execution of it's action scenes. Directors Mouse McCoy and Scott Waugh really put us into these scenes, the camera feeling like another character as it dodges and weaves in between the action. This is where the choice to use real soldiers pays off, as this is basically training for them, just with a camera crew filming their every move. The P.O.V. gimmick, used to disastrous effect in Doom, works really well here, as round after round of bullets are fired off, you really feel it. I do feel they played their hand a bit too early with a first set piece, a rescue mission in Costa Rica featuring a car chase punctuated by an explosion of Michael Bay-like proportions, so intense that the subsequent action scenes don't quite live up to it. These are the real draw of the film, and do not disappoint.
While not a perfect movie, what it does well it does very, very well. For fans of Battlefield and Call of Duty add an extra star to my final score, but it is still a fun action movie, that could have tigthened up a bit more.
Starting life as a promotional video for the U.S. Navy, the film follows a team of U.S. Navy Seals, a special forces unit of the Navy, as they uncover a plot by a Chechen terrorist to launch an attack on America. That's pretty much for the plot, save for the friendship between the leader of the Seal team and his second-in-command. Populating the cast with real Seal team members is one of the main strengths of the movie, but also it's biggest weakness. The acting is very clunky in the scenes which don't involve copious amounts of gunfire and explosions, and a cheesy voice over extolling the virtues of honour and doing all you can for your country feels intrusive. We don't get much of a feel for the characters either, so much so I can't even remember their names beyond Seal No. 1, Seal No.2 etc. Also the military speak had me lost on one than more occasion.
Where this movie excels is in the execution of it's action scenes. Directors Mouse McCoy and Scott Waugh really put us into these scenes, the camera feeling like another character as it dodges and weaves in between the action. This is where the choice to use real soldiers pays off, as this is basically training for them, just with a camera crew filming their every move. The P.O.V. gimmick, used to disastrous effect in Doom, works really well here, as round after round of bullets are fired off, you really feel it. I do feel they played their hand a bit too early with a first set piece, a rescue mission in Costa Rica featuring a car chase punctuated by an explosion of Michael Bay-like proportions, so intense that the subsequent action scenes don't quite live up to it. These are the real draw of the film, and do not disappoint.
While not a perfect movie, what it does well it does very, very well. For fans of Battlefield and Call of Duty add an extra star to my final score, but it is still a fun action movie, that could have tigthened up a bit more.
