Act of Valor (2012)

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

An elite team of Navy SEALs embark on a covert mission to recover a kidnapped CIA agent. Act of Valor has some great action packed sequences but the film's plot is thin and it's villains are forgettable. The real life Navy SEALs do a good job with the material that it's given to them but the film still is missing something and that it's a great script which there isn't, the acting is alright and the action as i said dazzling but the film still offers little and does little in general since the biggest name of the film is honestly Roselyn Sanchez and she gets killed pretty early on the film also the character development wasn't that great either with some characters. Overall not a bad film but not a great one either it's watchable for a Sunday Evening or so but this kind of films have started get repeating badly and some of them are not as good as they were once or as they could have been. (6.1/10)

I'm not military or have been but reviewers who have served agree this is technically right on. Excellent and interesting strategic action scenes show the great skill and timing and risk involved What i probably most liked was .that I was touched by the amazing courage that some guys are capable of...that there does exist a sense of duty and commitment and sacrifice....These days Patriotism has been damaged by politics and corporate policies....and while loyalty to USA protocols is certainly a theme here I reacted to it less then just the sense that 'being the best you can be' is a personal CHOICE...that heroism is a real state of spirit...and a most wonderful thing that can take the ultimate price....Made me feel a sense of gratitude to the peoplewho have made this amazing DECISION and the back it up.About an excellence that really e3sists...amazing.

If you're a fan of realism as I am this film will appeal to you. The actors were not professional which I loved about it. The tactics were real. As a SWAT officer I usually dislike action movies for the unsound tactics used but this movie did not display those. It captures the brotherhood of operators and their families. I've watched it several times and enjoy it every time. The acting was good especially considering the experience of the cast. I am certainly not a movie critic but I am a critic of tactics. For those in similar professions there will be a high level of enjoyment. Those who do not understand probably won't notice the difference.

Of course the official Industry Critics hated this movie! They are all socialist and hate America...they would rather, as this current President has stated, see us be "More like China" What is very heartening is the Public reception with this movie beating all others out at the box office the first weekend it showed....the American People know a good American Story when they see it and this was one of the most Encouraging American Movies of all-time along with "American Sniper" and "Lone Survivor" our War movies of this decade have finally hit the same quality of patriotism as those from the 50's and 60's such as "A Bridge too Far", "The Great Escape", "The Longest Day" and "Patton" just to name a few.I believe the current and ONGOING WAR ON TERROR which is NOT OVER and has never stopped folks....will be more defining to our way of life and freedom than either of the so-called BIG WARS we're ever in danger of becoming.The movie is based on true events and uses real, active navy seals and their families to depict the actual capabilities of today's 21st century special operations warriors....completely blew me away and left a lump in my throat and great food for thought with the ending monologue and Tecumseh poem....it truly made me re-evaluate my life. Not many movies can do that these days.I think this movie should be mandatory viewing for every high-school student in America today. The children today no longer perform or recite the pledge of allegiance, they are not even allowed to pray and the history books have all been rewritten with no mention of all the lives lost and blood spilled over the last 200+ years to provide the freedom they have today...FREEDOM DOES NOT COME FREE!I give this my "10 Tons of Freedom" RatingJarrett Neil Ridlinghaferlinkedin.com/in/jnridlinghafer