Act Of Valor: The Military's Ulterior Motive

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Forget “be all you can be,” “an Army of one,” Uncle Sam and hisstern finger pointing. Oh, the U.S. military still wants you. Make no mistake. Butthey’re playing things a bit cooler these days. Case in point: Act ofValor, this weekend’s big release, and a fascinating mash-up of action movieand recruitment video. And while it’s undoubtedly a fine tribute to militaryservicemen and women past and present, this Navy-backed Hollywood production also has itssights squarely set on future generations, ones that have grown up weaned on Call ofDuty as opposed to Rambo.If you somehow missed the bazillion adstrumpeting the movie’s use of “active-duty NavySEALs,” you might be forgiven for mistaking Act of Valor for anotherboilerplate action movie. The story is relatively familiar: A team of elite soldiers istasked with rescuing a captured CIA agent, and in theprocess, they uncover a terrorist plot against the United States that only they can stop.Along the way, people get shot. Things get blown up.But chances are, if you dogo see Act of Valor this weekend, it won’t be because you’veaccidentally mistaken it for The Expendables 2. No, it’ll be thanks to themovie’s major selling point, what separates it from the litany of othershoot-‘em-ups out there: the filmmakers’ unparalleled access to militaryresources. Because where other action movies are pretenders, Act of Valoris the real deal. After all, it features real SEALs, real military gear, and -- in amove that had to bump up on-set insurance premiums -- real bullets.WATCH:Making Of Act Of ValorThe flip side of all that unprecedented cooperation, of course, is the film’sbarely concealed recruitment angle. While the Navy makes it clear that it did not fundAct of Valor, nor will it profit from it financially, the project’s genesiswas as a recruitment initiative, part of a goal to significantly increase themilitary’s special operations forces. So, in 2008, Navy Special Warfare officialsstarted listening to pitches from producers for a film project, one that would hopefullybolster SEALs enlistment numbers as well as correct years of Hollywood misrepresentationof the force. (Apparently they weren’t too thrilled with CharlieSheen’s 1990 Navy SEALs.)Enter the Bandito Brothers, a LosAngeles-based production company led by directors Mike “Mouse” McCoy and ScottWaugh, who had previously shot a short documentary for the Navy. They eventually convincedNSW officials that using real, active-duty SEALs would be key to delivering an authenticportrayal of the elite squad, figuring they could get passable acting out of trained SEALsmore easily than they could get passable SEALs action out of trained actors. (They did,but only barely.) Over the course of the next four years, McCoy and Waugh were allowedaccess to helicopters, planes, battleships, and a nuclear submarine, in addition to theirpersonnel. The central team of SEALs, meanwhile, were given free rein to plan themovie’s missions the same way they would in the real world, further adding to theauthenticity.The U.S. military isn’t normally known for high visibility(even if you’re buying the popcorn), but for the Navy, the recruiting benefitoutweighed any possible risk. Besides, the Navy had final cut on Act of Valoranyway, excising hundreds of hours of potentially classified footage, which it kept forits own training purposes.And joint ventures between Hollywood and the U.S.military aren’t exactly new: John Wayne made his pro-Vietnam The Green Beretsin 1968 with full military cooperation, and it was a massive success, despite beingcritically reviled. The Navy enjoyed a serious enlistment boost of Maverick-wannabesthanks to Top Gun. And more recently, the Department of Defense has been helpingdirectors like Michael Bay fend off alien attacks, while showcasing its most badassmilitary firepower. Apparently no one’s worried about showing our hand when it comesto fighting giant alien robots. Continue Reading

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