Eye Candy #598 - "Act of Valor"

Act of Valor:  Some may try and dismiss this film as a blatant piece of pro-American propaganda, but I think that’s dismissive to a fault.  Yes, the film focuses on the exploits of Navy SEALs traveling around the world, chasing a terrorist from Colombia to Africa to Mexico.  And yes, the bulk of the main cast is actual serving SEALs, so the level of acting ability is sketchy at best and some of the dialogue is crap.  But as an action film (which we seem to get fewer and fewer of these days), it’s well-staged, believable, and fairly easy to follow (sure we get some POV and night vision stuff, but it’s never so jerky that you can’t follow the action).  In addition, the director manages to create a very effective sense of tension as the mission continues to build through the hunt for the terrorists.  Does it make the SEALs look invincible?  No, but when you put them up against drug gangs, backwoods militias, and the unarmed, there is a skill level apparent that the nonprofessionals don’t have.  And it certainly makes them look scary-good at what they do.  Compared to other SEAL-based films, like the Charlie Sheen classic (which I dearly love) or other various way-low-low-budget pictures, this one actually fares better.  Sure, you don’t get a ton of trite, catchy dialogue, but if that’s your hang-up, it’s a lame one.  They aren’t trying to make “Rambo” here.  And I have seen many, many, many movies that were less coherent, less technically sound, and less entertaining.  Woodchuck sez, “Worth a look.”