Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • June 6, 2012
‘Act of Valor’ features actual Navy SEALS
and how it is often necessary to communicate silently when discovery could mean death. Team members are referred to only by their first names, such as Lieutenant Commander Rorke and Special Warfare Operative Dave. The rest of the cast members are actors. The villains are broadly drawn, and include Mexican drug cartel members, Chechnyan crime kings, and a drug smuggler turned jihadist. They don’t quite twirl their mustaches and scowl at the camera, but directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh aren’t exactly subtle. They actually appear at the beginning of the film, claiming its authenticity and warning of its no-holds-barred images. Whether they are there to hype the picture or give it a documentary feel, their
appearance seems contrived. “Act of Valor” has the look and feel of any number of World War II movies. Viewers get to know the principals as they engage in gun battles and covert missions, and they are portrayed as almost supermen in their ability to read, outthink, and outshoot their enemies. Blu-ray extras include interviews with each of the Navy SEALS, deleted scenes, directors’ commentary, and several featurettes including a making-of documentary and a look at the tactics employed by Navy SEALS. “Act of Valor” is also available on DVD. “Falling Skies: The Complete First Season” (Warner (continued on page Crossword page)
A Navy SEAL is engaged in a personnel recovery mission in ‘Act of Valor.’
by Dennis Seuling “Act of Valor” (20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment) is an action picture with a difference: It features actual Navy SEALS in staged scenes of what they have been trained to do. In the wake of the SEALS’ successful assassination of Osama bin-Laden, the movie seems equally a recruiting video and a gripping drama of men under pressure who never lose their cool and always stay focused on a mission’s goal. The plot concerns a SEAL team doing its part to save the United States and its citizens from international bad guys. It takes the team from one exploit to another, often showing in minute detail how well coordinated team members are,