REVIEW

Act of Valor

A Navy SEAL is dropped onto the hull of a submarine in Act of Valor, a fictional story that stars actual members of the elite special operations force.
A Navy SEAL is dropped onto the hull of a submarine in Act of Valor, a fictional story that stars actual members of the elite special operations force.

— Imagine a movie where real-life action heroes perform feats they’d do off-screen. Instead of having Tom Cruise or Sam Worthington trying to pass for a Navy SEAL, why not have SEALs themselves blow things up and teach bad guys a lesson?

That’s what the film making duo of Mike “Mouse” McCoy and Scott Waugh, known as the Bandito Brothers, try to do with Act of Valor.

Because the work that SEAL (which stands for sea, air, land) teams do is so specialized, it would be prohibitively difficult for an actor to convincingly look as if he were pulling off a raid like the one where the SEALs killed Osama bin Laden or rescued hostages from Somali pirates.

The Bandito Brothers may be onto something. In the movie, shot for less than $20 million, the real SEALs look comfortable taking out terrorists or rescuing a CIA agent (Roselyn Sanchez). By combining what the SEALs do with live rounds (which were used in the film) with the Brothers’ own experience as stuntmen, the action scenes are suitably tense and occasionally breathtaking.

Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, who’s best known as the target of Christian Bale’s wrath on the set of Terminator Salvation, works with small digital cameras that enable viewers to follow along with speeding trucks through the streets of Manila or be at the site of a submarine right as it’s surfacing. None of the technical wizardry detracts from the action, which is fast and remarkably tense.

The filmmakers say the script by Kurt Johnstad (300) cobbles the story together from real incidents where SEALs have put their lives on the line. In this mission, SEAL Team 7 is racing around the globe to stop a suave Russian drug smuggler (Alex Veadov) and a brutal Chechen jihadist (Jason Cottle) from attacking the United States. While individual incidents are credible and gripping to watch, the storyline feels a bit convoluted. Essentially, Johnstad’s trying to fill the time between daring raids and make the SEALs come off as more than super warriors.

The humanizing of the SEALs might have worked if the dialogue credited to Johnstad felt a little less stilted and if some of the SEALs had a little more seasoning in front of the camera. While it’s easy to believe these men and their families are intensely loyal to each other, professional thespians know how to make flat declarations seem less like a memorized line and more like a sincere sentiment.

Because the SEALs involved with Act of Valor are all active duty sailors, they are listed only by rank and first name in the credits. If any of them want to become actors, they’ve got some time to learn their craft before viewers learn their full names.

One notable exception is a SEAL billed as “Senior Chief.” When he grills a bad guy, the scene provides some of the film’s only energy that doesn’t involve explosions. He and the actor opposite him look equally poised, and it’s easy to get the feeling that saying no to this guy is not possible.

The Bandito Brothers know how to stage and edit the mayhem, but the overbearing score by Nathan Furst is a distraction. When the SEALs are facing a villain with a rocket-propelled grenade, the music doesn’t need to swell to inform viewers that the SEALs are in danger.

Considering the SEALs’ recent track record, they’re certainly due for a movie that celebrates their sacrifices and heroics. If they themselves aren’t that great at reciting dialogue, at least they look more convincing at taking out enemies than Charlie Sheen did in 1990’s Navy SEALs.

Act of Valor 80 Cast: “Rorke,” “David,” “Senior Chief,” Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez, Jason Cottle Directors: Mike “Mouse” Mc-Coy and Scott Waugh Rated: R, for strong violence including some torture, and for language Running time: 101 minutes

MovieStyle, Pages 31 on 02/24/2012

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