Act of Valor (2012)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Sophie B

  
  I can understand what the filmmakers were trying to do (show a true story of a group of Seals and cast actual Seals to make it so much more authentic) however it just didn't work. Too many similar looking/sounding characters to keep up with and none of them were very endearing or… More
  I can understand what the filmmakers were trying to do (show a true story of a group of Seals and cast actual Seals to make it so much more authentic) however it just didn't work. Too many similar looking/sounding characters to keep up with and none of them were very endearing or elicited sympathy or any kind of allegiance. I liked some of the action set pieces however finding out that this film was endorsed by the US military has brought it down even further in my view and made me question how truthful it really is. As for the main climax of the film, I'm speechless; and not in a good way. The action that led to a certain person's misfortune, was completely uncalled for and unnecessary and made me feel like someone was trying to be a hero for no reason.

• Joe M

  
  Take this for what it is, a fantastic recruiting video.

• Phil H

  
  God bless America, gun porn, plenty of stars n stripes, heroic sacrifices and a military funeral with full honours...its all very serious here I tell ya. I have read this is kinda like a remake of the classic action fest 'Navy Seals', it does feel a bit like the… More
  God bless America, gun porn, plenty of stars n stripes, heroic sacrifices and a military funeral with full honours...its all very serious here I tell ya. I have read this is kinda like a remake of the classic action fest 'Navy Seals', it does feel a bit like the Sheen/Biehn/Paxton vehicle accept for one thing, this film is highly realistic and minus the over the top characters...of course. In fact this film (like a few others) is so accurate you would think the SEALS are kinda giving their game away by allowing films like this to be made, you don't see action films showcasing the inner workings of how the SAS manoeuvre and take down targets, I'm not sure it would be allowed. I have also read that this is pretty much just a recruitment drive for the US military/Navy, to get young men excited and wanna join up. Whether this may or may not make young men want to join I dunno, 'Top Gun' certainly helped I recall, one thing I do know, this is a rip roaring military action film which is damn hot and makes you wanna play 'CoD' hehe. OK so you wanna see a film adaptation of 'Call of Duty' or 'Battlefield' then this is your film, the whole story plays out like a 'CoD' mission from start to finish with plenty of dubious greasy foreigners as the baddies. Its not hard to follow as the film moves from one action set piece to another interspersed with simple plot explanations from various military officers. The action is first rate and gets your pulse racing as the camera gives you a first person perspective from one of the SEAL team much like your well known FPS's, combine this with some excellent sequences mixing sniping, HALO jumping, extractions, room sweeping and plenty of bloody terrorist take downs :D The film is set up well with a nasty terrorist act which you can obviously see coming but it does wrench your heart out, from that point on you wanna see some kick ass revenge. The first target, to extract a female hostage, is slick savage and amazing to watch with a long fast fluid sequence to rival any top action film around. I can't see how this can disappoint anyone who wants action. To be honest after that the film does lull somewhat, its hard to follow on from the excellent jungle shoot out at the start but the ending sequence in Mexico again is bang on form and shouldn't disappoint. In short this film is all American as you would expect, its very bland and not hard to follow, its pretty much a whole video game mission and the acting is really quite bad haha no idea who the cast are but they are all wooden as hell. On the other hand if you wanna see some kick ass realistic SEAL team action gunning down lots of slimy terrorists and drug dealers with multiple close ups on various big kick ass guns...then this could be for you.

• Liam G

  
  I'm sorry, but this was lllaaaaammmmmeeeeeeeeeeee.

• Kevin K

  
  Grade: C- (70%) "Act of Valor" isn't a bad war film by any means. It has the realistic action and an interesting plot. For this type of film, it works very well. However, if you are looking for awesome acting backed up with a great script, you should probably skip… More
  Grade: C- (70%) "Act of Valor" isn't a bad war film by any means. It has the realistic action and an interesting plot. For this type of film, it works very well. However, if you are looking for awesome acting backed up with a great script, you should probably skip this film. The film is a mix of realism with the video game franchise "Call of Duty". People who have played this modern warfare game will probably feel right at home. The action is very realistic - the strong point of the film. The action is backed up by some clever direction - including the occasional first person perspective that puts you in the shoes of a soldier looking down his assault rifle. The direction is clean and you are always aware of what is going on around the battle field. The realism is top notch. Throughout the film, you will see these soldiers use remote control airplanes that allows them to see enemy patrols. Even with those type of gadgets, the stealth missions are very well done. It was so amazing to watch that I can actually see these soldiers doing it in real life. The film is seriously let down by an awful script. Now it is pretty hard to make a script that isn't full of cliches in a war film because of the dialog is used over and over again but this script was ridiculous. Even when they tried to fill in some comic relief, it didn't work. There is a scene between two men on a yacht and one says, "You haven't seen Star Trek?". In that type of scene where it should be all serious and down to the point, you make a joke about a science fiction film? Just awful. The script doesn't get any help from the acting which is horrendous. Now I understand that actual soldiers took the leading roles in this film but it was awful. The acting would've been much better with actual actors in the film - it was a bad decision to use actual soldiers in the film. I understand that they are trying to add to the realism . . . but come on. Obviously you are seeing "Act of Valor" for the realistic violence and not for the action or writing. In the sense of action, the film does a solid job in its 107 minute run time. Though if you are looking for anything else, "Act of Valor" may not be the best film to watch.

• KJ P

  
  I went into this film expecting bad acting, bad dialogue, and poor characters, along with a ton of riveting and suspenseful action sequences. This is practically what I received, but I didn't actually expect to feel the emotions of the families during the film. There are two… More
  I went into this film expecting bad acting, bad dialogue, and poor characters, along with a ton of riveting and suspenseful action sequences. This is practically what I received, but I didn't actually expect to feel the emotions of the families during the film. There are two leads that we follow through the beginning of the film. During the action scenes, they are the only ones that you care about, but thankfully, it is who the film continues to focus on, so the consistency is pretty good. That being said, some of the dialogue makes you want to laugh, but since the actors are professionally trained Navy Seals, I took the film with a grain of salt. The missions feel like Call of Duty (which was awesome), but the camerawork is sloppy at times, even feeling like a news story about a mission gone wrong. Overall, I had a good time and I shed a few tears, because the movie will make you think about how lucky we truly are. It's an average film that deserved to be eons better than it turned out to be!

• Kase V

  
  'Act of Valor' is home to a realistic sense of war and battle that is nothing new to the cinematic world, but is still very refreshing to see. Although the action sequences are executed well with good attention to militaristic detail, the film ultimately flounders under some… More
  'Act of Valor' is home to a realistic sense of war and battle that is nothing new to the cinematic world, but is still very refreshing to see. Although the action sequences are executed well with good attention to militaristic detail, the film ultimately flounders under some obvious problems. The acting from the SEALs is a mess, and you'll tire of their banter the first 20 minutes into the movie. The script is unoriginal and full of cliches. Based off the style of film making, you can almost tell the men behind the camera are all just Call of Duty fans attempting a movie, but they did have a good shot at it. In the end, 'Act of Valor' feels like a film that brings nothing new to the table, although I applaud the filmmakers for trying something different with the casting of the SEALs. The action may be realistic and entertaining, but the acting is not.

• Tyler C

  
  Coming from a person that's been in a military family his entire life, I most definitely will view this film differently than others. The action I won't lie, is realistic beyond belief, but the acting is expectedly terrible, the script is AWFUL, and the film overall is a… More
  Coming from a person that's been in a military family his entire life, I most definitely will view this film differently than others. The action I won't lie, is realistic beyond belief, but the acting is expectedly terrible, the script is AWFUL, and the film overall is a giant recruiting video filled with constant military movie cliches and overly-pretentious military propaganda. Bound to please the typical Call of Duty/Battlefield fans, but me...Hell No!

• Aaron N

  
  Frag Out! Last year my title for the film review of Battle: LA stated that you may need a video game controller in order to watch it. With Act of Valor, it seems more like a supplement to playing a video game. If you were to become tired of playing Modern Warfare or Battlefield,… More
  Frag Out! Last year my title for the film review of Battle: LA stated that you may need a video game controller in order to watch it. With Act of Valor, it seems more like a supplement to playing a video game. If you were to become tired of playing Modern Warfare or Battlefield, then Act of Valor is easily a way of keeping that emotional state alive. For a film that is based around authenticity of the actions taken by the actual active duty U.S. Navy SEALs, it is certainly just as concerned as looking like a slick video game come to life. The big difference is that this film is clearly working on a lower budget and lacks some of the visual panache that is more easily achieved by experienced action directors. Still, Act of Valor does contain a lot of harrowing action sequences, glued together by a plot that is a straight procedural and entirely inconsequential. Regardless of the intentions of this film (which started out as a recruitment film in early stages), if one desires a flurry of explosive action that is slightly more realistic than average, this is that film. read the whole review at thecodeiszeek.com

• Jeff B

  
  Wearing its Purple Heart on its sleeve despite some battle scars, this loving and wholly authentic portrait of true American heroism is the real reel deal. Though it brims with backslapping Hoo Rah, Act of Valor judiciously never feels like a recruitment film (it will doubtlessly… More
  Wearing its Purple Heart on its sleeve despite some battle scars, this loving and wholly authentic portrait of true American heroism is the real reel deal. Though it brims with backslapping Hoo Rah, Act of Valor judiciously never feels like a recruitment film (it will doubtlessly pique enlistment interest, however). It presents s soldier's life truthfully, fatal warts and all. Everything - from the lingo to the combat scenes, look so true to life that they sometimes make the Normandy Beach landing Saving Private Ryan look like an Afterschool Special. When the movie works to set up the plot and antagonists, however, it starts to feel like a cliched direct-to-video war flick, Bond-esque villains and all. Thankfully, the story keeps it simple which puts the intense fighting at the forefront. In this R-rated war actioner, an elite team of Navy SEALs (Sanchez, Manson, Alex Veadov, Nestor Serrano) embark on a hard-charging secret operation after a mission to recover a missing CIA operative uncovers a major global terrorist threat. Having ex-H?Wood stuntmen Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh helm and produce the movie only enhances the action tenfold. Their decision to fill the magazine with real soldiers makes for a real-as-hell experience. Funny enough, in an age when every other movie is a found footage mocumentary supplanting handheld digital shooting for honesty, Act of Valor is pure old school Steadicam moviemaking, which serves it's battle cry well. This is, after all, not a documentary but a narrative movie. If 1990?s Navy Seals had gone for realism instead of hokum, it would've looked like this. Bottom line: Hot extract.

• Chris S

  
  I had been wanting to see this movie for a long time. I was pumped about the trailer and knew this was exactly my kind of flick. In case you haven't seen the trailer, it's one of the best I've ever seen. Act of Valor stars active duty Navy SEALS. This means they are… More
  I had been wanting to see this movie for a long time. I was pumped about the trailer and knew this was exactly my kind of flick. In case you haven't seen the trailer, it's one of the best I've ever seen. Act of Valor stars active duty Navy SEALS. This means they are not in the credits but they do all their own action sequences. This makes the action scenes very authentic and about as close as most of us are going to get to military action. Act of Valor is a film that follows Navy SEALS through a fictional mission after a CIA agent is kidnapped. The attempt to rescue her leads to further plot points that expose a larger terrorist agenda. The plot is very straight forward. It does get confusing at points but the overall mission is clear. The story is fun but a little too straightforward until the very end. I'm not going to talk much about the acting in this movie because it's horrible. I didn't expect anything different though because professional Navy SEALS are not actors. I will say though even the professional actors were pretty terrible in this one. If you want to see great military action and that's your thing, you'll love Act of Valor. If you expect great acting and drama then forget it. This is a case of "it is what it is" don't expect it to be anything more. I loved this one, but it also helped to read the book prior to seeing the movie.

• Nathan C

  
  Act of Valor is a film that has an interesting premise: there are no big-name actors or actresses here, and its only marketing ploy is that it uses real life Navy Seals to simulate a day in the life of a Navy Seal. But does it work? First of all, this film is the closest thing to a… More
  Act of Valor is a film that has an interesting premise: there are no big-name actors or actresses here, and its only marketing ploy is that it uses real life Navy Seals to simulate a day in the life of a Navy Seal. But does it work? First of all, this film is the closest thing to a live-action Call of Duty film; there were numerous instances where the camera is placed into a first-person perspective that made you feel like you were playing Call of Duty. Second, the action scenes are actually very well done and seem realistic. But this film is not without its problems. One problem is the excessive use of clichà (C)s. Ten minutes into the film and everything is relatively easy to predict. You know who might live and you know who might die. Another problem is that the entire film seems like a marketing ploy to get you to join the U.S. Navy Seals. While this is not bad, it just is not played out right. This is supposed to be a film and not an advertisement. But overall, this makes for pretty good popcorn entertainment while giving a shout out to the Navy Seals. It is not terrible, but it is not outstanding either.

• Juan C

  
  It's a good action flick, with the most interesting idea of putting actual active navy soldiers in the film that shows us how they are put in battle. The action is really interesting and gripping for its actually how they're in combat. However, the film feels like an actual… More
  It's a good action flick, with the most interesting idea of putting actual active navy soldiers in the film that shows us how they are put in battle. The action is really interesting and gripping for its actually how they're in combat. However, the film feels like an actual movie, and not realistic at times cause of the techniques and the villains. But the film itself is really intresting and actually manages to show us some realism of the battle, so I say it's worth to watch. B

• Matt S

  
  I love contemporary military movies so this definitely hit my sweet spot. Real Seals, real maneuvers, scenarios based on real missions, and real bullets . . . what's not to like? Needless to say the action was great. Don't go in to focus on the acting, because it ain't… More
  I love contemporary military movies so this definitely hit my sweet spot. Real Seals, real maneuvers, scenarios based on real missions, and real bullets . . . what's not to like? Needless to say the action was great. Don't go in to focus on the acting, because it ain't going to win Academy Awards, but . . . see it to find out how these guys live and what they do.

Read all 14 featured audience ratings