There are so many good things to say about Act of Valor that I hardly know where to begin. It's not a standard action movie, no matter what some cynical reviewers have said. This is a realistic look at what it's like to be a modern special operator with the Navy SEALs. Is some of it dramatized? Possibly, but not very much at all. Plenty of SEALs have come forward and confirmed that this film is a realistic look at their work, and from what we know about the extraordinary nature of these men and their missions, I see no reason to doubt that. Sometimes reality is more interesting than anything Michael Bay can dream up.
The cast are actual SEALs and not actors, so yes, delivery of the dialog is not up to the standards of the Royal Shakespeare Company. It doesn't matter. These guys did a fine job with their lines and conveyed their dramatic scenes ably, mostly because you knew that they had lived these situations themselves. They were most comfortable in the debriefing scenes, speaking in their lingo and talking about the specifics of their mission, and it was interesting to see how such things go down in reality.
The non-SEAL actors did a great job as well, particularly one scene where a high-profile subject was interrogated by a CIA agent. It was riveting stuff, and quite fascinating as well.
But of course, the action is the most memorable, and the film delivers. It's absolutely amazing what these men do on behalf of their country, and the code of honor they live by. I sleep well at night knowing they're out there.
Some will write this entire film off as propaganda or a recruiting poster. Whatever. If it serves to make people feel good about the work their military is doing and helps them understand the men that are picking up the hardest of that work, then so be it. If there's any set of people out there who deserve to be glorified, it's these guys. They work in the shadows, for little pay, often never able to talk about what they've done, literally ready to give their lives at any moment. They deserve some glory.
The cast are actual SEALs and not actors, so yes, delivery of the dialog is not up to the standards of the Royal Shakespeare Company. It doesn't matter. These guys did a fine job with their lines and conveyed their dramatic scenes ably, mostly because you knew that they had lived these situations themselves. They were most comfortable in the debriefing scenes, speaking in their lingo and talking about the specifics of their mission, and it was interesting to see how such things go down in reality.
The non-SEAL actors did a great job as well, particularly one scene where a high-profile subject was interrogated by a CIA agent. It was riveting stuff, and quite fascinating as well.
But of course, the action is the most memorable, and the film delivers. It's absolutely amazing what these men do on behalf of their country, and the code of honor they live by. I sleep well at night knowing they're out there.
Some will write this entire film off as propaganda or a recruiting poster. Whatever. If it serves to make people feel good about the work their military is doing and helps them understand the men that are picking up the hardest of that work, then so be it. If there's any set of people out there who deserve to be glorified, it's these guys. They work in the shadows, for little pay, often never able to talk about what they've done, literally ready to give their lives at any moment. They deserve some glory.