MOVIE REVIEW - Act Of Valor

The much talked about Act Of Valor is out in theaters this week. This is not so much a movie, as it is an experience.

You may have heard, that AOV is the picture that actually stars real, but unnamed United States Navy Seals. What this does is attempt to show you the kind of people in the world that are wanting more than anything to do America great harm. And the kind of people in the military that are trying to keep them from doing it. It shows you the lengths that both sides will go to for victory.

The first part of AOV shows you the Seal Team in the Philippines rescuing a captured female CIA agent, deep in the jungle. Then the second half is the same team defending an impending terrorist attack in this country. The events are connected. It is straight forward, it is violent, and it is not flowery stuff. There are no actors, no catch phrases, no comic relief sidekicks, and no silliness. After you go to this experience, you may have a different feeling about many other such "Hollywood" movies where diabolical characters are trying to take over the world with big name actors on each side of the ledger.

This movie could be a love/hate with the public. If you want to know who these people are on each side, and are willing to see what you have to see to experience it, than AOV can be a learning tool for you. Granted, you won't know all there is to know, and that's fine. But it can be an eye opening deal. If you nave no interest in the people fighting on either side of this conflict, than this is not for you. Mainly because you have to be willing to go into battle with them, and understandably that may not be for everyone for many reasons.

Since there are no real actors in the lead roles, there is some really bad acting at times. But luckily there is not much of it. What AOV does well, is keep the spotlight off them as actors, and keeps it on them as servicemen, doing what they do best. This movie is a ton of action, and to its credit, it is real stuff. There is nothing "over the top," or silly. In fact, it's as realistic as I think it can be. This is not a documentary, but its overall sense of real gives it much credibility, and it feels real as a result. This is highly compelling movie making, and doesn't feel much like a movie at all. It's like you're there in it. There are no big stars, or Hollywood gizmo's getting in the way.

Act Of Valor. A very interesting experience. Well done.