Title: Act of Valor
Directed By: Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh
Starring: Roselyn Sanchez, Jason Cottle, Alex Veadov, Nestor Serrano, Emilio Rivera
Basing a film on true events really puts the audience in a hard place. The character on screen is doing something great and so did a real person out there in the world. How can you criticize a movie about Navy SEALs who really risked everything for their country? As nice as it would be to give these guys some Oscar statues to add to their likely endless collection of medals, they’re Navy SEALs, not actors and Act of Valor is a videogame with killer effects on automatic play, not a solid feature. Then again, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pack the power to at least make you appreciate their work.
Act of Valor focuses on a team of Navy SEALs assigned to rescue a kidnapped CIA agent. It’s not a simple mission by any means, but it’s after they blast through the Costa Rica camp in which the agent’s being held that their work really begins. It turns out the CIA agent was investigating a connection between two international terrorists planning a devastating attack on American soil using highly volatile and undetectable bomb ridden vests.
Short and sweet synopsis, right? Well, that’s because Act of Valor is rather light on plot. The central issue, that of the terrorists using these terrifyingly advanced vests to hit us at home, is exceptionally profound, but rather than explore the psychology of such a threat, Act of Valor merely skims the surface, showing us how it all goes down via action and nothing more.
However, that action is incredible. Co-directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh cover the firefights fantastically, packing each battle sequence with mesmerizing imagery while keeping the material impressively grounded through a documentary-like shooting style. The choice to go with “the real thing” gives Actor of Valor a boost here both in terms of the mid-action performances and the resources. Of course there are some digital effects, but apparently the large majority of the action is the real thing and it shows.
Then again, the real thing doesn’t benefit the film in terms of performances. Sure, they’re stellar when it comes to their missions, but the one-on-one conversations are generally quite flat. But this isn’t entirely the Navy SEALs’ fault. This script is nearly devoid of character development. It’s absolutely drowning in desperation to keep family in the forefront, but references to life back home are so contrived, none rouse any emotion.
Making it even harder to connect to the characters is the fact that it’s nearly impossible to differentiate them, even the team’s leaders. At the start of the film, a graphic effect helps introduce us to each member as well as their positions, but after that, they’re merely camouflage-painted faces and nothing more.
The villains, on the other hand, are quite colorful and this also has to do with the fact that the men in those roles are some of the film’s few professional actors. One of the very first scenes introduces us to Jason Cottle’s character, and it’s easily the most effective scene of the film, perhaps not necessarily because of his performance, but in terms of the severity of the incident and the way it’s depicted. However, later on, both Cottle and Alex Veadov do get the chance to show off their acting chops and both seize the opportunity. If explosions and the impending threat isn’t enough, simply watching these two arrange their plan is quite disturbing.
But unfortunately Cottle and Veadov aren’t enough to get Actor of Valor to rise above its lack of story and character development. The screenplay is based on real missions, but just because they’re factual, doesn’t necessarily mean they feel honest on screen. The terrorism narrative attempts to link them all together into one feature film, but it winds up feeling more like a string of skits forced together, which in turn winds up resembling a collection of “Be All You Can Be” army commercials.
If you’d like a peek at what it’s like to work as a Navy SEAL, but perhaps a bit on the glorified side, Act of Valor could make for some decent entertainment, but if you’re on the hunt for an actual story within the world of those SEALs, you better start training to become one yourself and make your own.
Technical: A-
Acting: C
Story: C
Overall: C+
