Act of Valor

       Movies mean different things to different people and often tackle real world problems with fictional characters. However, just because the characters are not real doesn’t lessen the message. What if though, you were to take those fictional characters and replace them with real people, playing themselves? That is what the new film Act of Valor does, it places real Navy Seals in the movie and sprinkles a few real actors in there for good measure. It is a story of an operation to keep terrible things from happening on our soil, spanning locations all over the world. We are introduced to “Seal Team 7” as they are preparing to go on a mission.  We meet them as they are  spending time with their families the night before they are to leave. They have been told by their Chief to have everything in order so that the mission is the only thing that is on their minds. The idea for this film came while the film’s directors, Mike McCoy, and Scott Waugh, were filming a video for the Navy in 2007. The Navy then gave the two directors access to active Navy personnel because they didn’t believe actors could realistically portray or physically fill the roles. What it all adds up to is an unprecedented feel of realism that movies can only strive for. From all the action scenes being planned by the Seals to the use of live ammunition, the filmmakers did everything they could to show you what life is really like for these solders. What the film lacks in acting and story, makes up with scenes of battle that will leave you in awe. It is very hard to make a movie with heart but heart is something Act of Valor has plenty of. When you leave the theater, it will be hard to not feel a sense of pride in what these men and women do to protect us, which makes it very easy to look past the mistakes in this film. This is a movie most people should see and when it is over should take a moment to think of what sacrifices some people make in order for you and I to be free.

  Brian Taylor