War movies have been a staple of Hollywood cinema almost since movies were invented. The war movie genre covers everything from historical conflicts and those in the present day, to even sci-fi imaginings of wars to come. Though the genre is perhaps most often associated with historical conflicts like World War II, World War I, and theVietnam War, war movies that depict more recent conflicts, such as those in the Middle East, have also broken through as seminal entries.
Some notable recent war movies include Ridley Scott’sBlack Hawk Down(2001), which chronicles areal-life incident during the Battle of Mogadishu, and Sam Mendes’Jarhead(2005), which follows a Marine’s journey during the Persian Gulf War.Green Zone(2010),American Sniper(2014),Lone Survivor(2013),The Outpost(2019), andZero Dark Thirty(2012) all take very different looks at similarly recent conflicts. One 2012 film, however, has largely fallen by the wayside when it comes to war movie genre history.
Act Of Valor Features Some Impressive Realism
A Former Green Beret Shares A Chilling True Account That Matches The Movie
A former Green Beret celebrates one key moment of realism inAct of Valor, despite the movie’s negative reviews. Released in 2012 and directed by Scott Waugh and Mike McCoy, the film follows a team of Navy SEALs as they embark on a mission to rescue a kidnapped CIA operative. Made on a $12 million budget, the war movie was a success, grossing $81 million.Act of Valoris fictional and doesn’t strictly chronicle the events of an actual war, instead choosing to focus more on the broader threat of terrorism, but it’s now revealed to feature some impressive realism.
15 War Movies Military Experts Praised For Accuracy & Realism
While most war movies are criticized for their inaccuracy, there are many that got various details right, earning the praise of military experts.
In a recent video forInsider, former Green Beret soldier David Harris analyzes a key scene from toward the end ofAct of Valoras the SEAL team is infiltrating a terrorist compound.The scene features a SEAL throwing himself on top of a grenade to save his team, and this kind of sacrifice is something that Harris personally experienced while in Iraq. Check out Harris analysis for the film below, as well as his glowing score for the movie out of 10:
Yes, it was accurate. Is there anything they could have done? No, honestly you want to stay out of hallways, stairwells, and you don’t really want to deal with ladders and things that change elevation because it’s a harder thing to cover. And yeah, that guy was watching it but the dude wasn’t even seeing, he just threw it down. And that’s all they have to do, even in a stairwell. you may’t really do anything if he throws a grenade down on you.
So the typical hand grenade time is about four to five seconds. Kill radius is about five meters and the radius of injury is about 15 to 20. Fuse variants can give an F1 grenade anywhere from zero to 13 seconds. And yes, you can protect others by jumping on the hand grenade to save your buddies. It’s the ultimate sacrifice honestly. A guy did that when I was in Iraq in 2007. A Marine did that, came in his Humvee, dropped it off a bridge and he dove down on it.
I would rate this movie a nine[out of 10]. Jumping on the grenade and how the explosion went it was very realistic.
What Act Of Valor’s Realism Score Means For The Movie’s Reputation
Why The Movie Failed To Strike A Chord With Critics
Act of Valormade a unique choice in the world of war movies. Instead of casting well-known actors for the lead roles, active duty Navy SEALs play all the lead characters.A clear emphasis was put on accurately portraying how SEALs interact and operatewhen in the heat of battle. The fact that the film earned such a high accuracy score speaks to the success of this particular goal, and this level of respect for U.S. military personnel is certainly worth celebrating.
TheAct of Valorcast includes: Rorke Denver, Alex Veadov, Nester Serrano, Ray Mendoza, and Ajay James, with many of the real-life SEALs going only by their first names in the credits.
Unfortunately, realism is about the only thing the movie has going for it. Active duty Navy SEALs are not actors, meaning the performances left much to be desired.Act of Valor, which has a 28% onRotten Tomatoes, is also hindered by a story that feels cliché and tired, andthe film as a whole feels relatively uninterested in offering up any kind of nuance or complexity regarding its subject matter. ThoughAct of Valormay feature some impressive realism in its grenade scene, it ultimately can’t escape feeling like a U.S. Military ad.
Act of Valor
Cast
Act of Valor is a 2012 action film that employs active-duty U.S. Navy SEALs in its cast, providing an authentic portrayal of a military operation. The film follows a team of SEALs as they undertake a covert mission to rescue a kidnapped CIA operative while thwarting a terrorist plot. Directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh, Act of Valor blends real-life military tactics with fictional storytelling.
