Act of Valor: Real action with real American heroes

After a covert CIA operative is kidnapped by a dangerous terrorist cell a group of Navy SEALs is dispatched to rescue her. They discover that her kidnapping was part of a bigger terrorist threat, one that looks to inflict terrifying damage to the United States.

What sets Act of Valor apart from other Hollywood action films is the fact that the leading and supporting roles are played by active duty Navy SEALs. This fact certainly aided in the films' action sequences, which were tense and stunning. Since there were no "actors" playing the lead and supporting roles, and the filmmakers chose to shoot the film in a documentary - style fashion, one could not help but feel as though they were on the ground with the SEALs fighting terrorists or rescuing the kidnapped CIA operative. The language used, the equipment and weaponry employed all added a touch of realism that made the action all the more impactful and real. Where the film lost steam was when the SEALs were asked to act. The way they delivered their lines when they were discussing things other than the mission left much to be desired (but one honestly cannot fault them for that, after all they are not trained actors). The clunky script and predictable story did not help matters either.

The film was never going to blow the audience away with Oscar worthy performances by the cast or dazzle critics with the complexity and depth of its story. It was a film which tried to give the audience a realistic look at the actions, emotions and sacrifices made by real soldiers every day. Act of Valor did that.

Grade: C+

The Peacemaker: Another "comfort" movie

Some films get lost in the shuffle and can only truly find their audience if: 1. Word of mouth gets around amongst a group of friends and spreads or 2. TBS, TNT or one of those other basic cable networks continuously shows a movie, so much so that it grows upon a viewer after the tenth time they've watched on a boring Tuesday night. The Peacemaker is one of those films which will hopefully fall under the first category.

Terrorists have stolen a number of Russian nuclear weapons and the task of hunting them down falls upon nuclear weapons expert Julia Kelly and her military liaison Tom Devoe. And even though they have differing views on who was responsible for stealing the weapons and why, they find that they must work together in order to prevent a possible nuclear disaster.

From the beginning sequences, which showed the hijacking of the nuclear weapons, to the explosive conclusion the film moved at a non-stop pace as Julia and Tom attempted to hunt down the weapons of mass destruction. The action sequences were intense, though not excessively gory or ultra-violent and they were expertly edited together so that the audience was held breathless while watching them. The film succeeded due to the performances of the two leads. Nicole Kidman proved she could play a powerful woman in charge of not only scientific matters, but military ones as well. George Clooney did a good job portraying Tom Devoe as a “Clooney-esque” character. His Devoe was smug, smarmy, charming, and full of himself yet able to show compassion and emotion. Plus he had no problems effectively pulling off the action hero role. Clooney and Kidman shared a dynamic chemistry on screen which, along with the action and suspense, made The Peacemaker an explosively entertaining action thriller.

Grade: B