‘Act of Valor’ Sets Documentary Sites on Military Action
by Ashley Wetzel
Act of Valor, a film directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh, premiered on Feb. 24, 2011. The film focuses on seven Navy SEALS, who jump from country to country tracking a terrorist cell with links in multiple countries. While the film provides the look and feel of action, without the strength and acting of the action film genre.
McCoy and Waugh previously directed and produced commercials for Mountain Dew, the U.S. Navy, Nascar and Toyota. Much like their commercials, Act of Valor is a film with nitty-gritty military action.
The terrorist cell consists of suicide bombers trying to cross into U.S. territory where they can enter high-population areas and cause massive havoc. SEAL Team Seven is set out to stop them by any means necessary.
The film relies on two specific types of scenes. There are both a number of high-intensity action sequences and touching, sentimental moments. The action sequences manage to keep the film’s pace rolling. In order to branch these action scenes, there are a lot of sentimental scenes involving families and children. In all, these scenes really manage to ground the film.
Looking into war
Act of Valor, at its best, was designed to be a live-action film giving viewers a look into how real Navy SEALS live and fight for our freedom. If this was the major goal, the film achieves it . However, the acting and dialogue at times seemed weak. The characters were not played by actors, but instead by real Navy SEALS and at some times the poor acting failed to carry the film.
Despite some weaknesses, the film manages incredible things. It reminds viewers that American citizens have something to be proud of: our Armed Services. The film inspires an immense amount of American patriotism.
The real reason to see Act of Valor
The most memorable part of the film were the credits. Instead of using typical film credits, a list of every Navy SEAL to pass during military service since 9/11 was displayed. While character depth and acting skills were low, patriotism was definitely a high point for the film.