Escape to the Movies: Act of Valor

[Something Amyss]

I think it says a lot that half that video consisted of apologetic disclaimers.

Especially since 80% of that was "I love you guys, you're awesome."

Pretty sure that is what we've become in general, though. A nation scared of even the slightest perception that saying bad things about something related to the military might be knocking the military itself.

It's a shame that we cannot have an adult conversation about the military, but when a critique of a movie involving them requires five minutes of fellatio and provides only about two minutes of substance, something's really wrong.

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

Really didn't like all the apologising and justification of your opinion of the film, which came across as not all that bad, and worth a look if you are interested in it's premise. The review got overladen with repetitive reassurances of your deep respect for their profession, it didn't need it, and nor would anyone with any modicum of rationality have thought a mediocre critique of this film reflected as your personal disparaging of the military.

I respect they do a dangerous and difficult job, but they aren't inherently valiant heroes, they're soldiers. Soldiering has a high heroism potential, but doesn't implicitly receive it. They fight for their government, whomever that is, who decide who the bad guys are, which I feel confident are often less evil than inconvenient. It must be unrelentingly demanding to have to perform their jobs and not dispute the ethics of the decisions of politicians, but that doesn't make them ideals or above any suggestion that anything to do with their careers is less than excellent. Those who perform acts of heroism beyond the call of duty are among the rare few, who then all too often face disciplinary action for their actions. Heroism in the line of duty depends on the time, the place, and what they have been asked to do.

My point being, the profession isn't beyond criticism, in the same way police, paramedics, farmers, pilots, geologists etc... have professions that are of significant importance, for various reasons, and yet still succumb criticism.

Nor should someone's capacity to kill you be a factor that alters your respect for them. You and they should both try to be reasonable people, who would be, in normal circumstances, unlikely want or need to fight. Their discipline however, undoubtedly, since it's a admirable character trait, which is among many you will likely acquire training to be a navy SEAL. Being able to kill someone efficiently is a unfortunate necessity of the job. Maybe this is just me cradling some small hope that humanity is making an effort to rise above our foundations, and that being able to kill the best, isn't something we revere.

My 3.3 pence. (Which I agree was completely necessary)

 

[Something Amyss]

Leaving the blind American patriotism aside, I can surely tell you you'll be thankful for the military if your city was struck by a natural disaster like Katrina.

When my city flooded, it wasn't the National guard who rushed to help us.

 

[maxben]

I wonder what a non-American would think about the propaganda-level of this film.

Not sure about the film, but there's too much of it in the review already.

There is such a thing as respecting people who are good at their job, but this amount of ass-kissing and hero worship was obscene.

I'm inclined to agree. Half the review was spent apologizing for having a friggin' opinion, which is honestly extremely non-MovieBob-like. Hence why I'd like to have a non-American take on this thing.

Well I'm not American, but I do have respect for military people. The country of origin is not the point unless you've been on an opposing side with America, otherwise its all about what you think of soldiers as people. I'm sure many people don't like it precisely because they have no respect for the marines and just see all soldiers as willful murderers.

 

[Dastardly]

As the saying goes, "People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." People can cry about the horrors of war, and how awful all of it is, but it's easy for them to forget that the reason they're free to do so is because we've got men ready to bear that burden for us.

Elaborate, please, or provide a few examples? While the quote may be applicable in some places and/or circumstances, I fail to see the actual relevance to modern Americans (i.e., who/what would keep me from being able to sleep safe and sound at night [aside from local criminals, maybe] and who, outside of Washington DC, threatens or takes away American freedom?).

I'm not here to play the obvious little game you're setting up here, sorry.

 

[Tanakh]

I think it says a lot that half that video consisted of apologetic disclaimers.

Shame they went and included the wankier aspects. One would think this movie would have presented a good opportunity to avoid that stuff.

Yep, americans seem to regard the sanctity of their military forces as a serious buisness.

Ill probably see it when it comes to DVD, liked the realistic military scenes Bob showed.

 

[Mangue Surfer]

I wonder what a non-American would think about the propaganda-level of this film.

Direct to rental material like The Hurt Locker. For the ordinary guy is just another of "those movies". Much more interesting is the opnion of non- north American about the Ghost Rider.

 

[Warforger]

I wonder what a non-American would think about the propaganda-level of this film.

Honestly I'm not a native born American but I was raised here and I have a disgust for when the military tries to infiltrate popular culture as to get recruitment, like the American Army games. To me mourning soldiers deaths as worse than normal people's death sickens me, to me the military is just like taking drugs, you know there was a risk some drugs/branches are more dangerous than others and you know very well your health can be heavily damaged if not get killed if you decide to participate not to mention that you could potentially hurt many other people. However you do it for the benefits, for the military it's social, cultural and financial for drugs it tends to be physical pleasure, the only difference is that one is supported by the government and the other isn't. I feel an essential sense of irony then when American soldiers defend Opium fields in Afghanistan as to keep people supporting them.

 

[SandroTheMaster]

Wow, the US really is not tired of using the old and dumb "The Russians did it" plot.

It is going to go to a quarter century since the cold war was over. Get over it... Don't you pretend your enemy is the entirety of the middle east now? Or was it China?

It reminds me of that scene at Black Hawk Down, when an US soldier is praying a female civilian doesn't pick up the AK, just to say "See? That's what collateral damage is all the time! US soldiers don't indiscriminately shoot civilians, they just shoot the ones dumb enough to go and grab a gun in the middle of a firefight. Aren't they dumb?"

Ugh.

 

[sonofliber]

I wonder what a non-American would think about the propaganda-level of this film.

well coming from a country that was fucked by its own armed forces (helped by america), i usually like this kind of movies, if they dont try to portrait soldiers as heroes (when they are just men doing their job, they arent defending you, or your way of life, they are defending your goverment way of life, which may or may not include you), if they are neutral and the bad guys arent bad just for the sake of not been american, i love them

 

[Davroth]

I find the mere concept of a professional military revolting.

 

[Elf Defiler Korgan]

I think it says a lot that half that video consisted of apologetic disclaimers.

Shame they went and included the wankier aspects. One would think this movie would have presented a good opportunity to avoid that stuff.

Yes, a lot of apologetics.

Bob can never escape that he is an American, and with that often comes a positive view of American soldiers. He never acknowledges they, the SEALs are jobbers, highly trained killers. He can't sit back either and appreciate the Americans through their military power, are not the good guys, or at least, can't claim to be the good guys all the time. The American mind rarely escapes and soberly examines the "American heroes" of the American military. He knows the populace get fed propaganda, but doesn't think how the propaganda affects his perceptions.

 

[Airsoftslayer93]

Interesting film, Yet you completely skip the fact that americans are the bad guys... Seriously, Americans are bad guys, and this film just shows the soldiers as good guys, even though their job is to kill people.... Which is sick. Why should we respect these people when their job is to go out and murder people. I'm not pro taliban, I'm not pro anything, but in this situation, at this point in the war, the Taliban are primarily made up of people whose homes, families, and culture has been destroyed by americans, the foriegn aggressor on their land.

We shouldn't respect soldiers, why? because they're taking part in a war that is so obviously wrong, Killing hundreds of thousands of people to avenge a few thousand. Spending $97 million dollars in the wars in afganistan and iraq for every one american killed in 9/11. Think of the good that could have been done with that money.

This film, while not overly political, is still glorifying murderers, people who take others lives for money. And that is something that i cannot condone.

 

[plainlake]

Act of Valor

MovieBob aims his attention at the epic Navy recruiting film Act of Valor.

Watch Video

Good, fair treatment of the material. I see this movie as an experiment. It's not meant to propagandize (ie, sway the opinions of the masses) as much as it's meant to appeal to already-fans of this kind of thing, and see if it takes.

And on another hand, I really have no problem with the military working to ensure a mostly-positive spin in Hollywood appearances. What they do is usually not very action-filled, and when it is, it's not "fun" or "pretty." It's flat-out ugly. They're going to get plenty of negative spin because what they do involves killing people. (In addition to the statisticallyextremely uncommon scandalous stuff we hear so much about lately.)

An army has to do awful things, and the public needs men able and willing to do those things. Often, we only hear/talk/care about what they do when it goes wrong. Really think about this:

1. We have a military so that we don't all have to deal with all of the awful things they have to do.
2. Because we don't have to deal with those awful things, we forget about them... or at least lose perspective on them.
3. We make unreasonable demands about how they do/don't do those awful things we originally tasked them to do.
4. They don't get it done, so it either doesn't get done or it falls back to us.
5. We decide to have a military, so that we don't have to deal... and so on.

Running PR for an organization like the military must be an absolute nightmare, because even on the best days, you're an organization whose job it is to kill lots of people(or at least stay prepared to do so). Seems to be that job would be impossible without a little "hero porn" and a bit of preemptive damage control.

Speaking as a european who has served in the Norwegian military.

The military is usually not the ones to blame for civilan casaulties at all, the politicians that put them in the situation are. The horrors of war and modern armed conflicts should be known to everyone so that politicians are never allowed to use military force lightly. In a working democracy, the voters are to blame. If I should mention a current hot potato, The Iraq war, very well handeled, military wise, but the reasons for starting it were laughable.

TLDR:
I respect the US military, but not always the ones that control it.

 

[triggrhappy94]

Second review for this movie I've heard today, and both have said almost the samething.
And so far they've peeked my interest if only for a second. That's an acomplishment seeing how I despise war and those who monger it--but not those fighting in it, veterans deserve respect. That's why Bob was so hesitant, He didn't want anyone saying he's unpatriotic or was hating on veterans.

 

[Pariahwulfen]

snip

Strange, I always heard it was because of the usage of Area 51, not the UFOs specifically.

 

[cookyy2k]

I respect the hell out of the military, too, Bob. I also know I respect them best by admitting I don't belong anywhere near them. Awesome review.

The respect should go both ways. We should respect the people in the military for the risks they are taking to protect our nation while they should respect other peoples decision to not join the military whether it be because we don't belong, don't believe in violence, not wanting to fight what they don't believe in etc. Every now and then I get a military guy at work who is disrespectful in that regard.

Completely agree with this. I've been disrespected a few times by military guys who think they're something huge now they've passed basic training and I should somehow bow down to them. I've had such disgusting comments as "I'm more important that all these, I shoot rag 'eds" this was in a shop where he tried jumping the que and noone was having it, shows the mentality of some of these guys...

EDIT; changed to prevent me getting fucked over...