The claim to fame for this movie that the hype-machine hammered home was that real-life, active duty Navy SEALs are the stars. In fact, the only actor I even recognized was Roselyn Sanchez, but along with Roselyn, I thought everyone turned in a strong performance. The plot first revolves around a kidnapped CIA agent (Sanchez) who was working to try to establish a connection between a wealthy arms dealer, Alex Veadov’s character Christo, and his childhood friend who has become quite the Jihadist. Information taken from a cell phone at the rescue location of Sanchez reveals significant details that eventually lead to more operations around the globe for this SEAL team. As the days go by, the stakes and threat to the US increase, while the time remaining to prevent a disaster is quickly dwindling.
While Act of Valor is an action film at heart, I thought it did a nice job presenting the “human” side of the SEALs, too. Often portrayed in Hollywood as emotionless machines of tactical precision, Act of Valor reminds us that the SEALs have lives away from the job, too. The family element is a big part of the overall story for the two main SEALs. At the same time, you’re watching this for the awesome action, so Directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh did well to keep the pacing fast and largely furious. The inclusion of SEAL lingo, weapons, and technology added a lot to the experience. On the other hand, I’m still on the fence about the first person camera views that are used for several minutes. At first look, it reminded me of the Doom movie, but that aside, it does open up the viewing for more immersion.
Not surprisingly, presentation quality for Act of Valor is top notch. Technical quality is outstanding — richly detailed and vibrant, with no flaws noted. The DTS-HD Master balances dialogue with gunfire to great effect as well. The Blu-ray disc also has the following features, all of which are in HD:
-Audio Commentary with Directors Scott Waugh and Mouse McCoy.
-Director’s Introduction
-Deleted Scenes – Six scenes totaling about ten minutes.
-Interviews with the SEALs – Seven SEALs share very brief interviews (only about five minutes each), but these are interesting.
-Real Bullets – A three minute look at the live ammo used.
-Real SEALs – Another super brief look at some of the tactics used during the film.
-Silent Warriors – About three minutes reminding us all how badass the SEALs are, even though you’ll never hear them boast it themselves.
-Making of Act of Valor – A disappointingly short feature that only runs about six minutes.
-“For You” Music Video
-Music Video Making Of
Overall Act of Valor is a strong release that would fit nicely into almost anyone’s collection.