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[Movie] Act of Valor

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Nikkoru:

--- Quote from: GoGeTa006 on March 04, 2012, 01:58:15 AM ---
--- Quote from: Nikkoru on March 03, 2012, 01:35:30 PM ---

I think a genuine documentary of a Navy Seal unit could be interesting, but this sounds  like Battlefield Los Angeles, only with Arabs in the place of aliens.

--- End quote ---

from everything I've read so far on that movie it is ALMOST a genuine documentary of a Navy Seal unit. . .(at least the way the operation is carried out is 100% real (according to the interwebs ;D) )
so even tho the "plot" is fake, the way it is handled is real

--- End quote ---

I think you and I have differing opinions on what constitutes a documentary. Based on the newspaper reviews I've read, quite a few at this point, this could be more easily categorized in the same area as the sort of creative propaganda fiction the United States government employed during the 40's to counter the Nazi's lies or a feature length recruitment video.

It's uncritical and focused on the glorification of combat and combat roles. Which is my main problem with it - unlike The Hurt Locker for instance - which also used realistic elements in its depiction of the Iraq war in the course of a rich fictional narrative, this is just a shoot'em up.

It doesn't engage any issue, doesn't make you think, doesn't flesh out these men or apparently ask anything of the SEALs beyond being over trained stuntmen.

GoGeTa006:

--- Quote from: Nikkoru on March 04, 2012, 03:00:38 AM ---
--- Quote from: GoGeTa006 on March 04, 2012, 01:58:15 AM ---
--- Quote from: Nikkoru on March 03, 2012, 01:35:30 PM ---

I think a genuine documentary of a Navy Seal unit could be interesting, but this sounds  like Battlefield Los Angeles, only with Arabs in the place of aliens.

--- End quote ---

from everything I've read so far on that movie it is ALMOST a genuine documentary of a Navy Seal unit. . .(at least the way the operation is carried out is 100% real (according to the interwebs ;D) )
so even tho the "plot" is fake, the way it is handled is real

--- End quote ---

I think you and I have differing opinions on what constitutes a documentary. Based on the newspaper reviews I've read, quite a few at this point, this could be more easily categorized in the same area as the sort of creative propaganda fiction the United States government employed during the 40's to counter the Nazi's lies or a feature length recruitment video.

It's uncritical and focused on the glorification of combat and combat roles. Which is my main problem with it - unlike The Hurt Locker for instance - which also used realistic elements in its depiction of the Iraq war in the course of a rich fictional narrative, this is just a shoot'em up.

It doesn't engage any issue, doesn't make you think, doesn't flesh out these men or apparently ask anything of the SEALs beyond being over trained stuntmen.

--- End quote ---

yeah I kind of found propagandist as well. . .TBH if I was 17 I would so join the Navy after watching that film. . . :P
and well its not a documentary in a. . .documentary sense :P but Im guessing (as I mentioned its what the internet says (we all know the internet never lies)) its the "closest thing to a dcoumentary"

TBH the fiction part really kills it for me, the story is mediocre and its action packed, but if operations are carried out like that. . .then damn! thats pretty damn nice (the rescue mission is pretty cool)

elvikun:
Well, lately, you can see a lot of action films which clearly yell Politicaly correct, join the army and "the great american values".
And this is one of the paragon examples of that. It doesn't even matter whether the actors and bullets were real, you can't see them while puking rainbows.

metro.:
I hate most blatantly FUCK YEAHHHH 'MERICAAA movies. This one only changes it by tossing in a gimmick, needless to say I'm not impressed.

A friend of mine watched it, and said he hated it. Then again, he wears lenless glasses and drinks PBR so his opinion might be invalid.

Nikkoru:
I just find it puzzling that they choose the guy that wrote 300 for this, he's not the first person you go to if your goal is authenticity as far as I can tell.

They mixed up some kind of overarching plot with Arab terrorists, Russian smugglers, and Mexican gangsters...why? I mean look at Law & Order, they've written 10 million episodes by just reading that day's newspaper and phoning it in - you've got the SEALs right there, just ask them what they did for the last few months, change the names then copy & paste, and then have them ad lib. And why does live fire make it the least bit more interesting? It's not like they were firing it at the actors, do you really care that it's blanks? Hollywood can make it look pretty damn real these days that it's not so hard to suspend disbelief.

I'm just saying they could've made their lives easier, and probably have gotten me to rent it a few months from now.

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