Parents' Guide to

Act of Valor

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Real-life SEALs can't save poorly made, violent movie.

Movie R 2012 101 minutes
Act of Valor Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 12 parent reviews

Dschorlemer
Dschorlemer Adult
July 9, 2021
age 16+

Inspirational Story of Heroes: Well done!!

A great story of inspirational military men and women who made sacrifices for their Country and brothers in arms. I registered to make sure you rent or BUY this movie. It will be watched over again at our household. Great family men in role models who are also professionals in their military role. And their selfless sacrifices for each other. This movie was like watching the real deal Navy Seals or Marines doing what they’ve been trained to do. The acting was excellent and real life. Very impressed by the military actors and others in the movie.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
leonard P.
leonard P. Adult
March 21, 2014
age 15+

most realistic movie I've ever seen

The language is something that kids definitely hear in public, or at school. The violence can get pretty bloody but nothing extremely graphic. There is one partially off screen torture scene that may disturb some

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
Too much swearing
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

An international smuggler (Alex Veadov) has reunited with an old friend (Nestor Serrano) who has become a terrorist. A CIA agent (Roselyn Sanchez) working undercover has collected information on the two men, but before she can do anything with it, she's kidnapped and tortured. It's up to the Navy SEALs to rescue her. The daring operation also yields a terrorist cell phone, which leads to yet another discovery: The bad guys are working on secret bomb vests that can't be picked up by metal detectors. What's more, 16 of them are headed to several major U.S. cities. Can the SEALs stop them in time to prevent mass destruction?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12 ):
Kids say (27 ):

Only pre-existing fans of the SEALs are going to get much out of this underwhelming movie. Co-directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh begin ACT OF VALOR with a filmed introduction explaining why they chose to cast real-life Navy SEALs: because actors couldn't convey the proper realism. And to some extent, that idea works. In one terrific rescue scene, viewers see the skill and precision of the SEALs at work, including surprising details that might have been overlooked by a traditional Hollywood production.

Unfortunately, while the SEALs are experts in many things, they're certainly not trained actors. But in their defense, no actor could have made Act of Valor's flat, clunky screenplay sound good. Moreover, while it's part of an effort to be more "realistic," the movie's sloppy hand-held camerawork and choppy editing kill most of the later action sequences. The "walking and talking" dialogue exchanges are even more awkward.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the Act of Valor's violence. Is it justified? How does it compare to what you've seen in other action movies?

  • Was it the right decision to cast real-life Navy SEALs in the movie? Does it make the movie more realistic? How else does it work? In what ways doesn't it work?

  • How does the movie reflect the military? How does that compare to other military depictions you've seen in movies and on TV?

Movie Details

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