Director: Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh.
Cast: Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano, Emilio Rivera.
Running Time: 101 minutes
Certificate: 15
Synopsis: When a CIA agent is kidnapped, a Navy SEAL team is dispatched on a rescue mission and uncover a terrorist plot against America…
ACT OF VALOUR marks an interesting development in the world of film-making. With a cast made predominantly of active US Navy SEALS, and filmed primarily on consumer-level DSLR cameras, the film ushers in a new benchmark in the action genre. But while highly trained commandos provide an unprecedented level of ‘realism’ on camera, basically re-enacting things they do in real life, they aren’t necessarily well versed in the ins and outs of theatrics. The action scenes are spectacular, and the film is worth watching for these alone, but ACT OF VALOUR suffers from weak characters and a convoluted plot which, although might not have been intentional, borders on the overly patriotic. Cheese boards at the ready.
ACT OF VALOUR started out as a documentary production, designed for promotion within the US armed forces. Directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh sought the co-operation of active SEALS to participate, and surprisingly, they received it. Due to the secretive nature of special forces, all of the SEALS in ACT OF VALOUR are uncredited; very noble and un-Hollywood of them, but it makes character identification quite difficult.
Infact, the only recognisable faces are actors Nestor Serrano (24) and Roselyn Sanchez (RUSH HOUR 2), although their lack of screen time greatly inhibits the dramatic merit of ACT OF VALOUR. Both Alex Veadov (WE OWN THE NIGHT) and Emilio Rivera (CON AIR) pull good performances as the villains, but it’s the SEALS that are the central characters and their acting during the non-shooting parts of the film is probably more on the tree side of wooden. However, that’s not what the problem is here; we’ve put up with Keanu Reeves for over twenty years. Unfortunately, it’s the hammy script that impedes what are clearly the best efforts of the soldiers to try to ‘act’ and make a cohesive film between shootouts. So during the dramatic, non-action scenes, the Navy SEALS are reduced to nothing more than stock characters, with one soldier almost ceaselessly gushing about his love for his wife and children. That being said, the Navy SEALS Chief has some cracking one-liners and oddly seems quite at home in front of the camera, although this may be because he is Bill Murray’s doppelganger.
While the questionable acting can be overlooked most of the time, ACT OF VALOUR also suffers from an overly complicated plot. The film darts across the globe, with baddies ranging from Russian terrorists to Mexican drug cartels, (and not forgetting the Filipino suicide bombers) and while this does probably reflect the sorts of adversaries the SEALS would face in real life, the inclusion of an antagonist aboard a luxury yacht filled with swimsuit models sends ACT OF VALOUR down the Bond villain route in a rather jarring way.
Still, what the film lacks in drama, it certainly makes up for in action. The set pieces are what make the film, with live ammunition, yes that’s live rounds, used in some places for authenticity. There are even certain points where the camera cuts to a POV shot highly reminiscent of Call of Duty, that video game no-one plays anymore. The action scenes are intense and vivid, painted starkly in the real world. There’s no John Woo dives or chains of ammo round the chest here.
But whether it was the desire to make a more marketable action film, or just to liven things up a bit, ACT OF VALOUR takes a few detours down Hollywood Boulevard. For the ultra-realism they portray as a team of highly trained commandos, the SEALS in ACT OF VALOUR sometimes seem a bit too eager to start lobbing grenades around and letting the bullets fly, and while that’s all good and well for the average fan, it does raise the question of whether the SEALS would be so gung-ho in real life, especially during a delicate hostage rescue or something.
Overall, ACT OF VALOUR will delight action fans with its refreshing and bonafide approach to its material. However, it’s difficult to ignore the cheesy script and the flag-waving, and one will probably come away remembering the action scenes and little else. The job of a Navy SEAL is no doubt commendable and heroic, but ACT OF VALOUR might have worked better as a straight up documentary to illustrate these points rather than a feature film.
ACT OF VALOUR is released in the UK on 23rd March 2012
