Act of Valor

First, I gave the movie Act of Valor four stars, but then I realized that after two days I don't actually know what sense the story in such a movie was supposed to have. The action scenes were good, shot differently than what one is used to, and this will be appreciated especially by players of video games, because often the camera was from the perspective of a soldier, and it must be added that the film surprisingly did not shake too much. Certainly not intentionally. And I had to appreciate that. However, despite the original and interesting action and the fact that such actions actually happened in the American army, the film actually cannot offer anything else. Well-shot work is still not good work, and this is a successful example. (2012-04-09)

Half documentary, half film, with a proper dose of pathos (which can be understood as naval propaganda) and considerably uneven action. If you trie to be fully realistic, helicopters shouldn’t be in the sunset several times during the film. Watch it rather out of curiosity, because besides the otherwise well-shot action (although nothing groundbreaking), the film essentially has nothing to offer. On the contrary, the absence of a quality cast makes it impossible to not laugh at the stupidity of the dialogues, or rather their delivery by the main (non)actors. (2012-07-29)

A really interesting war film that brought some new and yet untested elements to the genre (first-person perspective). I didn’t have much faith in the film, but it surprised me in a positive way. The story doesn’t offer a very well-thought-out plot but rather a well-worn stereotype, which I somewhat expected, so I don’t hold it against the film. However, the action was executed excellently, and I truly have no complaints there. I liked that the battles took place in quite diverse environments, whether in the jungle, desert, or even some gunfire on the water. I certainly didn’t expect such a showcase of the technology available to the U.S. military, which definitely added a few extra points to the film. The best parts were probably the armored boats with the minigun, which became so “excited” in one part of the film that it turned a poor car into splinters. The standout moment was the main characters fleeing the base, where the enemies wouldn’t let them rest and pursued them in cars, leading to a subsequent shootout that ended with a dramatic arrival of a boat. I was breathless from that. If a few issues were ironed out, it could have truly been a great film in every sense. Even so, it was fantastic, and I give it 83%. (2017-03-03)