Act of Valor

I clearly didn't take this picture

A very few times in my life I’ve seen a movie that left me feeling crushed and uplifted at the same time. Act of Valor was one of them. It’s a movie that brings vividly to life something that few of us ever see; true heroism and true evil. Our world is growing smaller by the day, but in some ways it grows larger and more unknown. I think we all need to know that there are people out there who have no qualms about kicking a person in the face and rolling them up in a carpet to kidnap them.

One of the brilliant aspects of the movie was the use of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II for filming. The dSLR is just small enough to be taken into new locations that we’ve never seen before. There were sweeping, unbelievably beautiful shots of helicopters, submarines and swift boats, but at the same time with the use of the dSLR and the helmet mounted cameras, we were suddenly taken into the thick of things with heart stopping effectiveness. I’ve never felt so part of a movie before.

The Navy Seals that were recruited to make this movie aren’t acting, they’re just being themselves and the simplicity of their lines brings them powerfully to life. I felt like I knew them personally by the end as I sat at the edge of my seat, willing them to live.

But even Navy Seals, with all their state of the art equipment and specialized training, are mortal. The list at the end of the movie of those lost is short, but it’s already too long. I assume that those same men that made the movie might possibly be down range right now, as I write this, keeping us all safe, silently and effectively. I want to know how they are, but unfortunately I’ll never find out.

They’re the closet you can get to Supermen this side of eternity and there are only a few of them.

~Psyche