Very much in the eye of the beholder, according to the admittedly partisan Hinderaker, who surveys the legacy media’s response to “Act of Valor“:
(Quite) a few movies have been made about post-September 11 warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world. Virtually every one of them has been shameless propaganda. You probably didn’t see them–hardly anyone did, for the most part–so let’s call the roll of shame: Fahrenheit 9/11; Rendition; In the Valley of Elah; Why We Fight; Homecoming; The War Within; Lions For Lambs; Stop Loss; Redacted; No End In Sight; The Kingdom; and Home of the Brave. No doubt I’ve missed a few. These films were anti-war, anti-military propaganda. Audiences avoided them like the plague, but the Washington Post had no problem with anti-war propaganda, nor did any of the critics, pundits or news outlets linked above.
Countless anti-military movies can be made, and continue to be made, even though their backers must know that they are destined to lose money. But if they are countered by a single pro-military movie, liberals get out their cloves of garlic and crosses–no, wait, just the garlic–and try to ward off the evil spirit of “propaganda.” It is a humorous phenomenon, but not one that will influence American movie-goers in the slightest.
I saw the film this weekend with the Hobbit, and we both quite enjoyed it, although the lady needed a moment or two to collect herself after the credits rolled. For it’s not all beer and skittles in the SpecWar community, and not everyone comes home.
What I liked:
- The sheer versatility of our Navy, from the SEALs themselves, to the aviation, submarine and special warfare combat crewman who ferry them to their insertion points, and then extract them back again, the necessary work having been done.
- The unabashedly pro-American point of view. Most of us of a certain age were brought up believing that we represented mankind’s last, great hope. Somewhere along the way, some of us came to think that wasn’t quite good enough. They came to think that we could be better still, and that falling short of their own personal vision of that ideal rendered all that went before it not just insufficient, but actively evil. Some people didn’t get enough mothering.
- The practiced grace and ease of warriors entirely within their own skin. There’s a moment where a SEAL takes a sliding knee to get into firing position behind a column. Even as he slides into that position, he subtly kicks a leg out to refine his cover, changing his vector from a more exposed position to one more perfectly suited to offensive action and defensive superiority. You could shoot that frame a thousand times with a “professional” actor, but you’d never replicate it, nor even come close. You get there by countless hours of training and experience, knowing that each movement presses a finger upon the scale of your own destiny.
- The firepower. If it’s not working, you’re not using enough.
- Many media critics decried the acting as “wooden.” But these were men not acting. They were being themselves, and I treasured them for it.
- The teamwork: It’s trite but true to say that to be a SEAL is to be a member of “the teams.” To be part of something bigger than yourself, which somehow represents the whole.
- The sacrifice: They have and had families they left behind because someone has to do it. Not everyone comes home, and sometimes warriors roll atop the grenade, knowing that they would die in any case, but the rest might be saved. The pinched-faced, lemon-biting shrews who saw that and said to themselves, “propaganda” have never had a moment’s thought for any life they loved more then their own, and I pity them for it. They never heard of Michael Monsoor, and their lives are poorer for that loss. Bruce Willis, Matt Damon, George Clooney – none of them – ever faced a moment of clarity so crystalline as did Petty Officer Monsoor, and they are at once personally blessed and eternally impoverished by that fact.
What I didn’t like:
To be fair, it isn’t, I don’t think “liberals” qua liberals who find this movie disquieting, even threatening. Patriotism is not limited to one or another partisan preference. But they were critics. Many of whom find themselves more comfortable with the “blame America” crowd than with those who celebrate America for what it is, rather than withhold their love in favor of what it might yet be. Conditional love being akin to chronic emotional abuse.
To which I quote a man who was once deemed a “traitor to his class”:
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
Theodore Roosevelt, “Citizenship in a Republic,” Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
Roosevelt had quite a speechwriter on his team. If this flying gig, blogger, and famed author position doesn’t pan out, you could do that too. With that in mind, I really like the part you wrote about critics withholding their love in favor of what it might yet be. I do the same, withholding my love for those same critics, hoping that they might read these words, or see such movies and see the light. Some might, most won’t, so it’s probably wasted energy to hope for that I’m sure.
Read the book last week. Based on my reaction to the book, I’ll wait for the movie to come out on DVD rather than embarrass myself and scare others in a theatre.
Best comment on the movie I’ve seen yet – I think it was on Andrew Bretibart’s site:
“John Wayne is smiling again.”
BTW, at the showing Yakette and I attended applause was generously offered by the vast majority of the audience at the end of the movie.
Really, really liked the “Slick” boat scenes.
“The pinched-faced, lemon-biting shrews who saw that and said to themselves, ‘propaganda’ have never had a moment’s thought for any life they loved more then their own, and I pity them for it…they are at once personally blessed and eternally impoverished by that.”
Well said, Captain. Thanks.
Saw it with the wife at the Sunday matinee. I insisted on opening weekend, as that would add to the initial sales figures and, with luck, cause a few strokes among the liberal media crowd. Insofar as plot is concerned there are several fine comic book series that have more. Insofar as acting was concerned, well, there wasn’t much. Which is good, because I wasn’t there for the plot or the acting.
I was there to watch Team America kick ass and chew bubblegum. I got what I asked for in a gritty, realistic, no-CGI no-BS no-preaching way. There was no Grand Moral Unification Theory, no attempt to justify the actions of the bad guys, and no attempt to make the stars have some hidden flaw or self-doubt.
It was a documentary about what could happen, or could have happened for all we know, starring the men who do the job.
The only other time I’ve felt this immersed, and impressed, with a movie was when I first saw Gettysburg.
*** spoiler alert ***
You might not want to read below if you’ve not seen the movie.
The only time I sighed and lost a bit of interest was when the movie went to formula.
We *expect* a man to jump on a grenade during the movie, because they spend a great deal of time with family making promises to stay safe and of course the example of Michael Monsoor. Slowing down time after a grenade is dropped near the platoon merely prolongs the inevitable, expected dive-on-grenade action. Since you know it’s going to happen, it’s sort of prolonging the agony of waiting for that scene to finish so we can see something new happen. Preferably with a GE Minigun, because that scene alone was worth the ticket price.
There is another sequence where a SEAL is shot by a Bad Guy. SEAL still has his weapon, bad guy still lives. There are two possible ways to play this scenario in Hollywood. Option 1 is to have the SEAL do a Hulk Hogan, rip his armor off, take a few more hits and psych himself up from the injuries, then become an unstoppable Engine of Revenge that proceeds to Win One For the Team. See any Chuck Norris or Van Damme movie. Option 2 is to have his partner shoot the Bad Guy just as the Bad Guy was explaining the details of his plot and tightening his finger on the trigger to kill Mr. Bond.
They threw me for a loop there and did neither, letting that scene play on for most of a minute while I’m wondering where in the hell is the rest of the squad backing this guy up and that disturbed me. Showing the effects of shock first-person was done in Saving Private Ryan. I’ve seen it already. I’m not impressed with fade-to-black effects done with the camera, I’m impressed with the tactics I saw just a couple minutes ago.
They’ve just impressed upon me how the teams are, well, a team and then come up with this solo and wounded stuff.
And if that’s all I have to complain about, this movie should reside on your DVD shelf when it comes out. Remember, not only will it torque off liberals in Hollywood to have those sales, you only have to watch it for a few minutes to go to bed assured that the meanest, baddest bad-asses on the planet are the Navy SEALs and they’re on the job protecting you.
A better recipe for sleeping well has not yet been devised.
– Max
I too saw it on Saturday, the day after release. Probably the best military film ever made.
A tribute to those who have been down range.
Movies are my thing and I am a frequent poster on the Internet Movie Database website message boards.
the Board for “Act of Valor” is teeming with the propaganda shrews.
There were only three shortcomings that I was able to note and each of those was more likely due to the requirements and limitations of film-making.
1) With the lone exception of the aforementioned tribute to the actions of MA2 Monsoor… all grenades in the film exploded “Hollywood Style” erupting fireballs rather than the flash-BANG!- and erupting dirt, shrapnel and debris.
2) and maybe the Aviators among you can confirm this observation for me. But during the HALO jump practice, several SEALS and aircrew were not wearing their O2 masks even after the plane was depressurized and the ramp was down, but a look out the back seemed to be awfully low, like below 10,000? I think the skydiving cameraman was either afraid to, or not qualified to HALO, and so they simulated from a lower Alt.
3) The “dud” RPG round.The round is clearly seen under rocket motor power from the tube to the chest. Impossible to survive that kind of kinetic impact. But RPGs don’t fire that way to begin with. A gunpowder charge blows the round clear and the motor does not ignite til after 10 meters downrange. (at least according to Wiki, HEY, I’m a twidget! not a shooter) If only the firing charge detonated and the motor failed to ignite, it might be possible to survive if struck in the flakkvest.
I think that was what was meant to be shown, but the practical/special effects guys had to show a rocket motor burning, because that’s how Hollywood rockets work.
Hello, My name is Cg-23 Sailor and I am a nitpicker, Now… where’s the coffee?
(overheard at the local N.A.= nitpickers anonymous meeting)
The RPG was too close to arm at any rate; it needs a certain amount of deceleration to go off and the motor is where it gets enough speed to do that. The Russians do build SOME safety devices into their gear. The motor should have ignited right about the distance where it hit him. Being burned by the motor should have been his real concern.
They should have invited the FX people to a grenade range so they could see how they look in real life. Flaming pop-thump isn’t right.
I would have liked a little more connecting material. Like explaining why they were taking a C-130 to the middle of the ocean and then using a swimmer delivery vehicle to the beach and then helos to the Mexican border… A couple of toss away lines would have filled in the gaps. I think that’s just “first time director” stuff.
Re: grenades and RPG: I’ll forgive them this one, as everyone knows, once the pin is pulled Mr. Grenade is not your friend…that and the frag pattern kinda puts a kink in the camera mans hands. I do know that many of the scenes were live fire.
RPGs: do you really want an RPG heading in any direction on a movie set? Especially since most of this was shot on SEAL training grounds?
An RPG is no more dangerous than an M2 etc.
Very nice, thoughtful, well-written review, Lex. But I have to ask: Are you sure you’re not angling for a spot as the SD Union’s movie critic?
Japan says it may cancel plans to buy F-35 jets from US if prices rise
Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said failure by manufacturer Lockheed Martin to deliver on time at current price levels would force Tokyo to consider switching to a different aircraft.
Interesting times.
I only have one quibble with the article by Hinderaker. I don’t believe The Kingdom was an anti-war, anti-military movie. In that movie our military took it to the enemy – hard. Played no games and got the job done. If someone here saw something else in that film, please let me know. Because it is a fave.
I hope to see Act of Valor this weekend.
An enjoyable and underrated movie. I was wondering how he came to that view myself.
Maybe he took the ending with its implication of the eternal nature of terrorism and thought it was suggesting the fight/gwot was pointless. I thought that inclusion was simply being realistic; bitter men will try and instil hatred in others, as honourable men will try and instil virtues. Terrorism isn’t something you can beat (as in eradicate) it’s something you must continually beat down – preferably to a level where you can deal the few remaining crazies as a purely criminal matter (thus denying their motives/aims any recognition beyond that of a cowardly, common variety murderer).
Kris, agreed. A pretty good movie.
Wstr, one could see the ending as you describe, or one could interpret it as indicating moral equivalence between us & them. Perhaps that’s what Hindraker picked up on.
Has anyone seen Home of the Brave? From the trailers it didn’t look “anti-war” so much as a sober look of how soldiers return to civilian life. I’ve even seen it compared to The Best Years of Our Lives in certain respects.
Perhaps Hindraker thought showing Samuel Jackson as facing PSTD, or Jessica Biel dealing with a lost limb as “anti-war,” in that the movie seemed too negative to him?
Great recruiting movie! My second favorite military flick! Where do I sign up!
The Doctor and I went to this last Saturday. As I’ve mentioned, she wore Army green for eight years active, while also being a squadron wife, so she sees things from both sides of the family/deployments thing. We both noted the moto youth target audience coming in, along with more than a few older couples such as ourselves, most of whom we surmised were composed of fellow vets. At the end, the young lads left with thoughtful looks on their faces, as it should be. Most of us older folks took a few minutes as the credits rolled to, uh, compose ourselves.
On a bit lighter note, it was fun to see lots and lots of my old home town, first duty station and local environs throughout the flick. Nothing like being oriented as to place and location!
I saw it Sunday taking my daughter and her boyfriend. Like others, I wanted to see the weekend opening look like as much like a blockbuster as possible. $25 million is not too bad.
I avoided most reviews, but read a couple at AoS. I’ve seen the “wooden” comments, but I still can’t shake seeing the Star Wars prequels which define wooden acting. In comparison, “Acts of Valor” was well acted. My only significant problem was the jumping around at the begining. As mentioned previously, a few extra lines of script could have helped connect the dots earlier. However, after seeing the whole of the movie, I think there is a message in seeing the various plot fragments at the beginning of the movie. Most of us only see 30 second bites of what is going on in the world and fail to make the connection.
A couple of other things I noted (SPOILERS)… As noted if this is a propaganda movie then the end of it didn’t seem like beer and skittles to me. On another hand, I’m highly impressed with the SEAL team’s ability to routinely get headshots even on running targets using reflex sights. And while it was noticeable that the swift boat extraction used live fire, it was also noticeable that all guns where given the same target. I have no experience in frags, but I did wonder about the one tossed down the side of the building and resulting in a lasting fire.
Then there are the three enhanced dramatic scenes, as if we needed the enhancement (as described earlier, the formula for such scenes). Yeah, I get the RPG is coming, but while I can believe a guy could get hit and survive; I don’t buy what happened there, as others described above. Further, I’m trying to figure out why the SEAL that removed the RPG would ever call that a dud rather than assume it just hadn’t armed yet. For the tribute to Monsoor’s act of valor, I think the shock of that happening closer to speed might have been better than the delay of the inevitable. Finally, the final “boss” killing scene. I agree with the comment in regards to “where’s the team?” and then the scene ends with “the tunnel is clear”, yet you see no one clear the tunnel.
Still, I enjoyed the movie and will get the blu-ray when its available. I look forward to my wife’s reaction when she views it. She worked the weekend, so couldn’t join us at the box office. I suspect the family scenes will make a dint in our supply of tissue paper. That was great drama, and again, far from propaganda.
I’ll be buying it, I wonder if the rewatch will have me wondering why there was a need to shoot the RPG gunner. Recoilless weapons in small spaces are generally very hard on the firer.
I don’t get to go see movies in the theater all that often, what with the press of family life and all. For “Act of Valor” though, I made it clear that I would indeed see it on opening day and adjustments would need to be made in order to accomplish that goal. See it I did, see it again I will, and I will purchase the Blu-Ray at first opportunity (as I will show it to the kids when they are old enough to handle watching heads explode). I find myself so completely enamored of this film and it took the good captain’s words here to help me figure out why (thanks Lex). So far I am fortunate that the few liberals who are in my orbit have had the good sense to refrain from spouting THEIR propaganda against this film.
good to see a modern war movie that does not trash america; people are rightly celebrating courage and sacrice; reminds me of band of brothers
I saw the movie on Sunday. The complaints by the critics of “wooden” acting seemed to me that the critics have had no experience with military operators. That is the way they conduct themselves, all business, they can’t afford to do otherwise. No throwing your pals dog tags over the fantail with tears in your eyes. That is Hollywood.
Knowing that the SEALS that participated in this movie demanded that they would not portray anything that they don’t actually do in real life made some of the scenes astonishing to me. A HALO jump into open water chasing a raft? Dear God! Although I must say that they put their masks on a bit late (don’t they need to start breathing the O2 two minutes before jumping?)
I was astonished when the swift boats came round the bend in the estuary and just opened up… People in the water and an amazing fire fight. That was really something.
I was happy to see that Ron Silver got a part in the movie, even if he was the Jewish bad guy. I have heard him talk several times about how he has been effectively black balled by Hollywood due to his support of our military and foreign policy. Great to see him on the screen again. I think the best line in the movie was when he was being interrogated – “The sh!t filter is full.” I could have used that line a number of times recently…
While our son was deployed my husband and I would go to the movies every week just so we had something we could tell him about. I would write a short synopsis of the movie and then tell him the grade we each assigned.
We both gave Act of Valour an A (and I am a hard marker.)
There’s a moment where a SEAL takes a sliding knee to get into firing position behind a column.
I noticed that very professional looking move also, but I didn’t appreciate the details, thanks for filling me in.
When I was in the Air Force I was once an ops officer at a remote live ordinance training range. We had most of the special forces visit us at one time or another because it was nice private place for them to play with their wonderful toys, and a good place to qualify as ground FACs. All of the service’s special forces are almost literal superheros. They are also quiet, reserved types just as the ones you see in ‘Act of Valor’.
I have to say that the reserve SEAL team I observed were the most impressive of all of our visiting superheros.
The HALO jump in the movie was impressive, but on our range they jumped out of an MC-130 that was flying about 1000 agl down a narrow valley, below the tops of the surrounding terrain.
At night.
They must have each been carrying over a hundred pounds of gear each. Once on the ground they ran up the side of a 700′ steep butte to set up around a helipad we had. I meet them there, they weren’t even winded.
They had an amazing ability to vanish from plain sight. They had all sorts of high tech weapons and tools.
All the time I’m thinking ‘These are reserve SEALS! What are the active teams like!??!’
…yes indeed Jim, most SpecOps types, of my acquaintance, are quiet reserved types… very much…”The Quiet Professionals ” that they have come to style themselves…
…and yes indeed most SpecOps types, of my acquaintance, are also quiet reserved types who would most certainly consider it anathema to appear, full face as themselves, in a Hollywood shoot-um up…no matter how well intentioned the project. Best
Re: Critics.
1. Scroom.
BT
AR
Spoiler alert:
I thought some of the writing was a bit cliched but I’m OK with that. The only real quibble I had was that the pace at which intelligence was developed seemed far to fast making it look like the intel business was rather easy: it seemed like they would collect a cell phone at 2pm and have hard intelligence off it by 2:30 and SEALs en route at 2:45. As good as they are I just didn’t buy that frantic pace.
There were several scenes that had me saying to myself I would never have thought of doing that! or if they are half that good they are damn good: having one SEAL come out of the river to catch the sniper target so he didn’t make a splash? I was thinking, as I watched, they aren’t going to make him jump six feet up onto the dock, are they? Also, it seemed to me that in a lot of the firefight sequences the SEALs used semi auto fire. I know they train to be expert shooters in all situations but the portrayal of them not using full auto caught my attention. Not sure why. The civilian in me thinks the more lead I throw the better.
Maybe one of you can clear up something minor: there is a scene where an honor guard fires a salute. It appears that they are firing M-14′s but you clearly hear them work the bolt between shots. Were they 14′s or am I mistaken? Can you change the 14 to not eject/reload a after firing?
…they’re firing blanks. Best
Duh! (Head slap) I feel so stupid. Thanks for the info.
…your welcome. Best
I couldn’t agree more, Lex. Incredible and poignant movie on so many different levels. And the realism…Damn. For you, it was the man sliding into firing position. For me, it was when the team was clearing a room. The movements of each individual and of the team in concert just looked……right. Something always looked not quite right in all the other movies or TV shows I’ve watched over the years. When you’ve seen it in person, done by a SpecOps team that has done it in real life, it just seems….right.
Oh, and please tell the Hobbit that she wasn’t the only one that needed a minute or two to collect herself after the credits rolled. Damned dusty theater.
Took the teenager this week.. She loved it!