I had the chance Friday to go see an advanced screening of Act of Valor, which will be released in theaters in February.

I had watched a trailer within the past couple of months and thought I knew what to expect. The movie mentions prominently in its advertising that active duty Navy SEALs were used in the filming, so I expected a degree of realism that other military movies don’t necessarily achieve. However, I wasn’t expecting the intensity level to be at such a high level. The intensity level reminded me of Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down.

I won’t go into much detail to avoid spoilers, but the movie includes HALO jumps, running firefights on both land and water, submarines, helicopters, the USS Bon Homme Richard, and lots of CQB (close-quarters battle.) One of the highlights to me was the interrogation of a captured arms dealer aiding terrorists. The locales include San Diego, Costa Rica, Eastern Europe, Somalia, the Phillipines, Mexico and the ocean.

Despite all the action, the film still manages to weave in personal elements including family and team member interactions and even a poem that works its way throughout the movie. Several of the family scenes are quite poignant. I really did geek out over the technology (including a hand-launched Raven UAV as well as other gadgets and tech) and I always like a good display of firepower. However, the tech and the combat were not distracting from the central message of the film.

The movie demonstrates that there is evil in this world and we do need men like this to protect us. The additional thing Act of Valor demonstrates is that these men have their own families but, just as important, they are family together. This movie demonstrates the good, the bad and the ugly for those in combat as well as the people they leave behind at home. This was the first movie that I got emotional while watching in a long time.

This is still an important message, and as things slow down in Iraq and Afghanistan, the public needs to be reminded that there are people in harm’s way every single day – whether we are in a “war” or not. I really would recommend that this movie be seen by anyone wanting to understand why the term “band of brothers” has ever been used to describe people serving together in a time of combat from Henry V to the eponymous book and television series and beyond.

A video of the movie trailer is below the fold.

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