Act of Valor—Owl-Eye Says “See It!”

Owl-Eye saw Act of Valor on Friday night. Lacking thumbs, I have to give it Two Eyes Open. This is a must-see, for several reasons.

First, it's a good flick. More on this below.

Second, it gives the Hollywood Establishment Lib Left a conniption fit. It runs counter to all their prevailing narratives but one.

Third, the last narrative from H.E.L.L.: that Americans want and need to watch stories that make soldiers the villain. Act of Valor topped the box offices for the weekend, grossing $24.7 million. Upwards of two million people laid out cash to watch it. That crackling you hear? It's the sound of H.E.L.L. freezing over.

Fourth: Seeing this movie will tell moviemakers that people want to see films that present the American armed forces as the good guys and our real enemies as the bad guys. Hollywood will keep looking for ways to undermine that, but independents like Relativity Media, who made Act of Valor, will find more investors for films like this one. (Shameless plug: Don't forget Declaration Entertainment; video here).

Fifth, it should be said again: this is a damn good movie.

We are told that the actors are active-duty SEALs. This can't be completely true, since a few children appear as extras, and I suspect that some of the wives shown are also professional actors. Yes, there are moments when the acting is flat, but not desperately so, and probably as much the fault of the director as the actors. There isn't much in the way of character development either. But this is not a movie about character development. Nor is it a movie about explosions and chases, or about the tactical skills and techniques on display. As engaging as they are, these are just scenery. It's not even about the jeopardy, which drives the plot but not the story.

“If you're not willing to give up everything, you've already lost”

“If you're not willing to give up everything, you've already lost,” intones the narrator. It might have been said by Sun Tzu or by Tecumsah, and it's the heart of the movie: courage, valor, sacrifice; daily and forever. This is a story about CHARACTER, graven in stone ten feet high, about virtue rooted in bedrock and reaching for the sky.

It is about men living and dying as men should. Those who do are, in the words of the movie, “Damn Few.” See it and, if you weep, weep proudly.