Act of Valor Blu-ray/DVD Available on June 5th from Fox Home Entertainment

Go “down range” with real, active-duty Navy SEALs in Act Of Valor, the adrenaline-fueled action-adventure that inserts you into the heart of the battle, alongside America’s best and bravest. When a covert mission to rescue a kidnapped CIA operative uncovers a chilling plot, elite, highly-trained U.S. SEAL teams speed to hotspots around the globe, racing against the clock to stop a deadly terrorist attack. Pulse-pounding combat sequences, cutting-edge battlefield technology and raw emotion fuel this unprecedented blend of real-world heroism and original filmmaking — a thrilling tribute to the skills, courage and tenacity of the world’s most revered warriors.

This Saturday, May 19th, is Armed Forces Day, a day we have celebrated since 1949 to honor the Americans that serve this country; in all five military branches. As the day was coming soon, I sat down to watch Act of Valor. The unique thing about this motion picture is that the actors are actual Navy Seals. They  began with looking for actors and having the Navy Seals accompany for assistance before they realized that no one would understand or know the combat sequences better than the Seals themselves. The Armed Forces decided to let them act as a basis to show what their skills in hopes of possible recruitment. What came out of it was a beautifully made movie inspired by real heroism.

There was this scene in the movie after they are leaving a mission and they are exhausted, wounded, closed off in their thoughts and I couldn’t help but thinking that it was really them. That that must be what they look likes and it was that part that made me realize how special this movie was. It was showing real heroes, not men that played them on T.V., but real life heroes.

ACT OF VALOR combines stunning combat sequences, up-to-the-minute battlefield technology, and heart-pumping emotion for the ultimate action adventure film’showcasing the skills, training and tenacity of the greatest action heroes of them all: real Navy SEALs.
Produced and directed by former Baja 1000 champion Mike Mouse McCoy and former stuntman Scott Waugh, and written by Kurt Johnstad (300).

My eldest son watched the movie with me. His Father is in the Army, having had multiple tours to Afghanistan and Iraq. His Uncle and his Grandfather both served, one having lost his fingers and toes as a POW in Korea. As the story opens up with narration of a letter from one Navy Seal to another’s unborn son, he speaks of the child having ‘warriors blood’ from the men who had fought before him: his father, his grandfather and his great grandfather. It made me think of my son as he watched the movie, of those men that came before him in his lineage and the strength they carried on to him. I loved that they included this narration over the movie because it gives it such an emotional impact and although you already surmise what happens to the man whose child receives the letter, it carries with it such an enormous amount of emotional awe that you cannot help but be moved. You cannot help but be proud that there are men like that out there fighting for our country and for the boys at home (like my son) who wait for them.

Although I must say, the acting is a bit off in certain areas where dialog is heavy, the movie is still phenomenal. I could overlook it because I knew these were not actors, they were Navy Seals and U.S. Navy Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen; so it didn’t bother me too much. The combat scenes were so realistic because they were practically real! They did all their own work, they actually use live rounds in some areas of the action and it just blew me away honestly.

DVD Special Features:

• Deleted Scenes:

• Christmas in the Barracks 

• MREs 

• Shabal in Winter Palace 

• Christo’s House 

• Shabal on Boat 

• Shabal in Kiro 

Director’s Commentary