Review: 'Act of Valor' is an action movie with a gimmick

[Casino67]

(CNN) -- Representing "a new kind of authentic action genre," according to co-director Mike "Mouse" McCoy, or if you prefer, the same old, same old wearing a bright, shining sales gimmick, "Act of Valor" is the latest co-production between Hollywood and the U.S. military. Such partnerships are a propagandistic tradition that go back at least as far as John Wayne and "The Sands of Iwo Jima."

 

Francis Coppola had to go to the Philippines to get the helicopters he needed for "Apocalypse Now," but "Top Gun," "Transformers" and even "Black Hawk Down" have benefited from the Pentagon's largesse in terms of hardware and expertise.

 

Still, McCoy and his partner, Scott Waugh, (they style themselves "The Bandito Brothers") might be correct when they claim this is the first time real-life Navy SEALs have appeared (incognito) on camera in the principal roles. And if that isn't realistic enough for you, we're told they used live ammunition in some of the firefights. There's no official word on how many real-life terrorists were harmed in the making of this movie.

 

In a brief infomercial that serves as a prologue to the main feature, McCoy somehow keeps a straight face as he claims there is no way an actor could reproduce the emotions the real-life SEALs feel whey they leave their wives and ship out on active duty. It's not a very convincing argument -- Mouse, it's called "acting" -- and the thesis goes down in flames more or less every time one of the servicemen opens his mouth. Anonymous guy playing Senior, don't give up the day job!

 

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I wonder if the movie had been made by Oliver Stone would it receive raves from liberal reviewers?