I just finished watching Act of Valor, a movie starring Navy SEAL Team 7, based on several real-life scenarios that could very well happen in the world. The movie itself was unphenomenal as a whole, it did not have the inspiring performances of brilliant actors, nor did it have the amazing camera shots and thematic music of one of the movie greats, like LOTR or Braveheart.
What this movie did have, however, was amazing action run by the clarity of thought and strength of will of professional Navy SEALs. It was clear from the very beginning, from the first shot to the last echo of fleeing footsteps stopped cold that these men were professionals at what they did: every movement, every thought, every eye movement that occurred in those battle scenes in the movie had something remarkable to them, something that I haven't seen in very movies. These gunfights were not acted out. Sure, there were cameras in the room, and cameras mounted on every helmet, and rehearsed lines, but every movement and behavior of those men breathed, even screamed to the world, "I am a military machine. I save lives, and my greatest hope in this world is to return home safely to my wife and kids. To be able to see their smiles one last time, and know that I'll get to see them be beautiful." This movie didn't have rogue officers, it didn't even have a lovable ruffian soldier who back-talks during playtime but pulls through when things get tough. This movie didn't have any of the push-pull dramatic BS that most directors put in their movies to spice things up and appeal to the audience. The Lieutenant was even clear about that right from the beginning of the movie, when he said to his platoon,
"Once we step off on campaign, once this bird's ready and we're down range... everything back home needs to be in balance. We're not going to be worth a damn to each other, ourselves if we get over there and something's out of whack, I mean if things aren't right with the family, things aren't right with the finances, or something's off - it's going to put us all out of balance, so, we need to have that all tight before we launch - if somebody's got an issue, bring it up: Chief can take care of it, I can take care of it, everybody's got each other's back. Let's make sure we lock that down so that when we're ready to roll , all our focus is on the mission."
There is no ego there. The focus is purely on making sure each guy is emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy so that they can go in, do the mission, and come back alive to their families. It may have been a scripted speech, but I'll bet it's not far off from the real deal. These soldiers care about each other more than themselves, and because of that they are easily one of the deadliest forces known to man. I think the truth of this is summed up near the ending of the film: the platoon is going through the tunnels, trying to find the remnants of the terrorist group. Upon entering a room, one of the men they're chasing drops a live grenade into the center of the room. At that moment, the Lt makes a move that didn't even cross my mind until I saw him do it.
The Lt dropped down right on top of that frag grenade, sacrificing his life for the other members of the platoon. As the camera panned around, it became clear that there was nowhere anyone could have hidden, no corner that the platoon could have ducked around, nothing. It was only that fall, the Lieutenant diving on that grenade, feeling its rounded steel shape bite into his chest, waiting nearly a second for it to take his life, while his teammates looked over, only realizing what was going on as the explosive detonated against flak jacket and flesh. If the measure of a man is given by what he would give his life for, then Lieutenant Rorke chose well.
And it's because of that example, from a movie, played by SEALs who played in the most realistic battle I've ever seen, that I've come to this one conclusion about the army: regardless of whether you agree with the military, regardless of whether you agree with the wars we're in - if you're thinking of joining for the military, don't join just for the academic package and financial benefits. Just don't. When you're in the military, you're playing with people's lives, whether you're the soldier holding the gun or the analyst who figures out where the enemy is located at, or the receptionist who books the general's luncheons. Every part part counts, and goes to make sure that our men come back alive. So if you're not in the military to save lives, or save our country, or defend our countrymen, or stop those who would destroy us, then please. Stay a civilian. Because when the grenade drops, I want to know that at least some of the team is going to survive. I don't want to see twenty obituaries in the paper, because the one guy who saw the grenade in time thought to himself, "you know, I can't spend that financial package if I'm dead - maybe I'll just duck around the corner and yell a warning instead." Life isn't that kind.
That's why I love Act of Valor. It isn't trumped up, it isn't over dramatized - it's real. And at the end, it becomes painfully obvious. This isn't a story about happy endings, or about how the the bad guys always die at the end and the good guys - the ones you really care about, anyways - always come out okay. It's a story about doing whatever it takes to make it to the goal line, and come back to your family and friends at the end. It's a story about making the right choice - even if that choice really, really sucks for you. Even if it requires your life. Because that is life. Life isn't about everything being perfect or ideal. Life is about doing what matters to you, and seeing it through to the end. I salute every Lieutenant Rorke, and any man who put his life on the line for the sake of others.
Five stars.
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