Comment

Comment by Nanashi Silver on March 3, 2012 at 4:29pm

@ Vyce Victus

Oh, I know it can happen in real life, I was just saying the odds of two such unlikely events happening to the same squad stretches credibility.

Comment by Vyce Victus on March 3, 2012 at 4:21pm

The gun and the dud rocket actually happened; was based off anecdotes of actual missions the guys did. Yeah crazy shit happens. Like the guy who survived stepping on an IED: http://www.marines.mil/unit/imef/Pages/MarineabsorbsIEDblast,walksa...

Comment by Nanashi Silver on March 2, 2012 at 9:55pm

I thought it was an okay film. I'm not sure if I would've gone the FPS route when doing the action scenes (that was way too overplayed) and obviously the portrayals were kind of wooden and bland, but overall it was a pretty good mindless action flick that made me feel a little more patriotic. That's pretty much all I expected and it was what a got-- I'd say it was a rental (and I only saw the matinee cause my mom was so excited about it she bought my ticket). One thing on the review: while I'm not any kind of interrogations specialist, I read some of the stuff provided via FOIA requests on interrogations mentioned here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Army_and_CIA_interrogation_manuals

And, after reading a few of the declassified manuals I'd believe the interrogation would actually go just like that. Well, the actual questioning part-- in truth, the ideal way to question a source is to get him isolated and observe for a while before actually picking a strategy and attacking. But I guess in the real world, when you've got absolutely no intelligence other than the guy across from you and you know something big is going to happen in a few days, tops, it probably makes more sense to skip the pleasantries. Whether they should have gone for realism is another problem altogether, since I'm also doubting it's realistic for these guys to get as lucky as they do (one guy survives a gun to the face and another gets hit with a dud rocket?! What are the odds?!) Oh, and as for the part about how his family wasn't even actually threatened, I think the boss mentioned that all the guys he'd done business with would probably go after them IF the US government leaked information about them. That was the impression I got, anyway.

Comment by Spydah on March 2, 2012 at 2:21pm

I was hoping for a most sobering movie from this effort, but I also knew it was a long shot at best....this review only confirms it. Too bad, I'll wait for the rental in 4-6 months I guess.

Blackhawk Down was the last really good military movie I've seen that wasn't trying to glorify war or put the hollywood glitz/glam on it. It just was what it was and did a great job of showing the chaotic structure (lack there of) to it.

Thin Red Line was also really good too. Just an after thought.

Comment by max the black crusader on March 1, 2012 at 2:57am

After reading some Tom Clancy books and watching a great deal of war movies and TV shows I have to say I like this movie. I want to say some of the plot elements were a little weak at times. But over all I did love the action scenes and I feel that's what they were going for. I give it an even matinee because I feel it deserves to seen in theaters. Oh and much love to my bother and all our troops serving oversea and at home.    

Comment by here's jonny on February 29, 2012 at 3:46pm

That lingo is the way they talk. Yes the acting is bad but what do you expect from non actors. Of course the interrogation was weak but they cant get military funding and backing if they also used the drill on bad guys as the baddies did on the cia agent. The were some first person shots but not 30 min worth. To me, it was just used to try and get a person to see what a seal sees before he kills or .... takes one to the face! Of course this film wasnt top notch but they're not going for a freaking academy award. Its just a nod to some of our heros, for me its just a little something that I would hope people take as a stop bitching about ipods, lil wayne, and justin bieber and just be freaking happy to be lucky enough to have been born here where someone is out there protecting you. Bc we all could have easily enough to have been born in Syria or some other shithole.  Once again, for me, this is an action movie made with possible scenarios that are cool to look at and I just appreciate that they are out there. Just sayin, I can understand people who actually know real movie stuff (unlike me) would give this movie a rental, but a some ol bullshit....WTF! Im a huge fan of this site and the spill crew so with still much love goin out to you guys, you guys called this one wrong.

Comment by Vyce Victus on February 29, 2012 at 2:30am

Batfan.

While I certainly understand the need for balance, I think that more often than not military movies, at least since vietnam express the negativity, that is a "good" war movie inherently shows that "war is bad". None of them EVER end well. Even more recently Green Zone and the famous The Hurt Locker heavily show the futility and incompetence present in modern warfare.

One particular point that Ed Rampell makes about the dragging of soldiers being edited out of Black Hawk Down is COMPLETE BULLSHIT. That scene is clearly in there and the whole point of it and the movie in general is to show how vulnerable we really were. That's one of the big conceits of the book, the movie, and even in lesson plan reviews of the incident in actual doctrine. Black Hawk Down was NOT a fucking recruitment film. That's like mistaking Starship Troopers for fascist propaganda when in fact it's a bold satire of it.

Another thing I want to point out: That donation link you were talking about, http://www.navysealfoundation.org/donate.htm, thats not a link to "fund military action", ITS A FUND TO SUPPORT THE FAMILIES OF DEAD SEALS. Spreading vicious lies like that is just as venomous and self serving as any right wing propaganda machine.

I want to be clear. The case I am making here is that I don't believe that this is a brazen in your face propaganda project like everyone seems to think. It is clear to me though that hollywood has no qualms with taking advantage of the call of duty demographic to ensure ticket sales. Millions of kids who play online everyday and see advertisements for this translates into millions of dollars at the box office; simple math. It is not a dragnet cattle call to get a brand new swarm of recruits. If you believe it is, then I feel like it stands to reason that the FPS games like MW are a hell of a lot more propaganda projects than this. Are they? I dunno....

As I said, when it all comes down to it all that matters is the merits displayed in the movie itself. And as Leon, Cyrus and many other critics have laid out, there really isnt much there. Another shitty action movie plot with some well made set pieces. Just another harmless action yarn to add to the DVD collection, right there with Universal Soldier: Regeneration or Tactical Force. If you do think it's harmful, I simply submit that compared to the harm MW does, Act Of Valor is negligible, not a massive conspiracy against free thought.

Comment by Ruben Baeza on February 28, 2012 at 4:25pm

Alright peeps. I have a friend who joined the army and is now with the Navy. He thinks this movie is dumb and he is in the freaking military! just because a movie is about your job, doesn't mean you have to like it. My friends response was; "I'll just wait for expendables 2 to come out. Atleast I'll get better acting from schwarzenegger." lol.

Comment by Cooper Anderton on February 28, 2012 at 12:35pm

Sure it's just a giant commercial for the army, but did anyone really expect anything different form the trailers and "Active Duty Navy SEALSs" thing?

Comment by Dacritic on February 28, 2012 at 11:12am

"Don't believe Us Military engages in torture? Try watching Act of Valor..."

More Funny Comments at http://bit.ly/yiLGCU

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