[IrishCop]

My wife and I went out for dinner and a movie last night, and God Bless her she agreed to us seeing "Act of Valor". (not exactly a chick flick).

I was thoroughly impressed. Yeah, yeah the SEAL's ain't exactly Oscar material actors (one of the repeating criticisms of this flick) but their performances don't drag you out of the movie...I think they bring you into it.

The weapons and tactics are spot on. Nobody picks up a MA Deuce and lets loose with 500 rounds from the hip. These guys run out of ammo and actually reload. Building clearing and CQB are shown being done correctly. When it moves to first person shooter POV, you hear the operators breathing heavy...not from exertion as much as from tension. When outnumbered they keep fighting, but they're fighting their way to extract. They take out a bunch of bad guys in a camp during a hostage rescue op, but once discovered and are set upon by about a 45 man QRF, 7 guys don't blow away 45 armed terrorists...they run, with their rescued hostage to where they know they have some serious firepower waiting to cover them.

The movie is a series of missions performed by the team in question (and one mission performed by another team) with the goal of stopping an upcoming attack on American shores.

It is well photographed and directed...the action scenes are chaotic, just like I would think they would be in real life.

The only "gotcha" I found was when one of the main characters is hit in the chest with an RPG at room distance...the RPG doesn't explode, but doesn't penetrate his armor either. Don't know about that one.

Other than that, I really liked this one.

Despite my lovely wife attending this flick with me, not exactly a date movie. The theater was about 3/4 full, and maybe 5% female. LOTS of testosterone in the air.

 

[Different]

The only "gotcha" I found was when one of the main characters is hit in the chest with an RPG at room distance...the RPG doesn't explode, but doesn't penetrate his armor either. Don't know about that one.

I admit I really know nothing of RPGs but "I've heard" that the rifle grenade needs to travel a minimum distance (15 meters?) from the launcher to arm itself. This sound right? If so, that scene you refer to is believable.

Mrs. Different and I saw Act of Valor last night. We thought it was great. She now wants a mini-gun, guess I have to put that on my Honey Do list. :mrgreen:

 

[stand watie]

to all,

fwiw, an Army sawbones (that i used to know in "the old days") surgically REMOVED a LIVE (hangfire/dud?) RPG round from the belly of a Spec4 in the Americal Division, during the mess in RVN.

the last i heard (over 5 years ago) the MSG was retired & very much alive in AZ.

yours, sw

 

[bearcat6]

I have a book around here somewhere, with a XRay picture of a SVN trooper with a live 60 MM mortar round embedded in his chest. It was removed and he survived.

 

[TommyGunn]

Rush Limbaugh apparantly was given a preview DVD of this and was pronouncing its greatness on Friday's show.
I definantly plan to see it.
I have always had a fondness for the U.S. Navy's SEAL Teams. My father was in a U.D.T. Team during the Korean War. They didn't have SEALS back then and U.D.T. was the closest thing they had.
SEAL Teams do everything the old U.D.T. Teams used to do, but there would be no way that U.D.T. would have been tasked to do all of what the current SEALS do. My father's team did come under fire but primarily they infiltrated and exfiltrated from their targets -- hopefully unseen -- and left a big enormous mess and a smoking hole in the ground behind them. This really annoyed the enemy and made our guys quite happy.

 

[IrishCop]

Rush Limbaugh apparantly was given a preview DVD of this and was pronouncing its greatness on Friday's show.
I definantly plan to see it.
I have always had a fondness for the U.S. Navy's SEAL Teams. My father was in a U.D.T. Team during the Korean War. They didn't have SEALS back then and U.D.T. was the closest thign they had.
SEAL Teams do everything the old U.D.T. Teams used to do, but there would be no way that U.D.T. would have been tasked to do all of what the current SEALS do. My father's team did come under fire but primarily they infiltrated and exfiltrated from their targets -- hopefully unseen -- and left a big enormous mess and a smoking hole in the ground behind them. This really annoyed the enemy and made our guys quite happy.

Tommy, I seem to remember a movie from back when I was a kid with James Garner about the U.D.T.'s - we called'em frogmen. I remember a scene where they were picking up buddies in the water in a fast moving rubber boat, reaching out and hooking arms, rolling them into the boat. Do you remember that, or is my dyslexic alzhiemers kicking in?

 

[IrishCop]

Different, SW, Bearcat:

Yeah, the RPG has to travel so far before the grenade arms...that wasn't my problem. I'm just wondering if their body armor could actually stop such a projectile. I know they have ceramic plates now that are pretty tough, and I will concede it's possible. It was just the only moment in the film that made me go "huh?".

But even with that, I HIGHLY recommend this movie if you are even remotely interested in Spec Ops, weapons or tactics. Or, just if you like seeing things go BOOM.

 

[phantom4570]

It's a rocket propelled device so at room distance it's velocity was the 120m/s from the booster charge. There's a delay before the rocket ignites that lets the warhead travel about eleven meters. Here's an excellent breakdown of the RPG-7
How the RPG-7 grenade works - YouTube

 

[TommyGunn]

Tommy, I seem to remember a movie from back when I was a kid with James Garner about the U.D.T.'s - we called'em frogmen. I remember a scene where they were picking up buddies in the water in a fast moving rubber boat, reaching out and hooking arms, rolling them into the boat. Do you remember that, or is my dyslexic alzhiemers kicking in?

I don't remember anything with James Garner & UDTs specifically but I do recall the scene you're talking about. Somewhere in my collection of DVDs I think I have a history channel show detailing the history of UDT teams.
I don't think it was narrated by James Garner though.
I learned more from reading a book titled Naked Warriors than from what my father told me about UDTs. He never would talk about his wartime experiences....well, very rarely when something in the news ticked him off.

Amazon.com: The Naked Warriors: The Elite Fighting Force That Became The Navy Seals (9780312959852): Francis D. Fane: Books

 

[dfariswheel]

The great UDT "frogman" movies were "The Frogmen" starring Richard Widmark, and "Up Periscope" starring James Garner.
A lot of UDT/SEALS mention "The Frogmen" as inspiration to join the Navy and try out for UDT/SEAL training.

The new movie must be really great, the Lefties are really down on it claiming it's a militaristic, jingoistic piece of trash.
Hollywood still hasn't figured out that America doesn't want to see movies that show American military as drunks, drug addicts, cold blooded killers, criminals, or mentally deranged victims of the military.

Think of most any movie about American soldiers made since during the Vietnam War and that's what you see.
Even movies like "Patton" were intended to be anti-military, but the stupid goons in fly-over country mis-understood it and thought it was about a great soldier.
No matter how bad they do at the box office, Hollywood will continue making them.
This one may spawn a brief spate of movies about "good" American military people, but it'll soon get back to anti-military, anti-American Leftist garbage.

 

[bearcat6]

I remember seeing a movie about the navy "Frogmen" when I was a kid. I also remember the pickup scenes when they held out a loop from the boat so the divers could stick their arm through it and be pulled aboard. As I remember the movie they were free diving without tanks, I remember that because I tried to hold my breath as long as they did while I was watching, I think I turned blue.

 

[TommyGunn]

...Think of most any movie about American soldiers made since during the Vietnam War and that's what you see.
Even movies like "Patton" were intended to be anti-military, but the stupid goons in fly-over country mis-understood it and thought it was about a great soldier.
No matter how bad they do at the box office, Hollywood will continue making them.
This one may spawn a brief spate of movies about "good" American military people, but it'll soon get back to anti-military, anti-American Leftist garbage.

I never thought of "Patton" as antimilitary. It's sort of hard for me to characterize it as being either "anti" or "pro," it is a movie purportedly about a great general who was very good but who also had some personal eccentricities. George C. Scott, who portrayed him in the movie, didn't sound anything like the real General Patton did and the actor himself was antiwar and refused Hollywood Awards as a result of his convictions.
I recall reading once the man who produced the classic movie "The Longest Day" intended it to be so intense and ..."effective," that it would cause the world to become peaceful, actually eliminating war. Now, there is a guy who was an enormous narcissist & egomaniac. "The Longest Day" is a great WW2 movie but it of course did absolutely nothing to end war at all. Subsequent movies like "Saving Private Ryan" depicted the same battle and carnage far more gruesomely than "The Longest Day" and even now, as all of us too well know, we're still cursed with war.

Hollywood has done some good in depicting war and soldiers. A classic TV series from the 60s, "COMBAT!" did a good job, overall of depicting American soldiers in war, doing a nasty job that had to be done, even making human mistakes, but still being good decent human beings who were passing through hell fighting an evil enemy. Another series, not as successful, "The Gallant Men," did a fair job.
Some older movies, like "A Walk in the Sun" and "Attack" also did a good job of dealing with human courage and cowardice under fire.
So, while the military's image did suffer post Vietnam, it still is not all bad.

 

[TommyGunn]

Well, I saw Act of Valor this afternoon. What a movie. I was in tears as I left the theater.
Of course the libtards are trashing this movie. It paints American SOF as heroes and dares to present a scenario where are southern border is a Maginot Line.
How DARE MOVIE PRODUCERS DO EITHER!?!?!
In the movie the RPG-7 that hit the SEAL was said to be a dud. I too thought they had a certain time until the warhead activated .... but I don't know what it is and whether or not the device was supposedly fired from that distance in the movie ... ? ? ?
This is DEFINANTLY joining my DVD collection as soon as it's released. Dang ....Rush Limbaugh already has his....:grumble::grumble::ek::ek::duh:

 

[IrishCop]

Well, I saw Act of Valor this afternoon. What a movie. I was in tears as I left the theater.
Of course the libtards are trashing this movie. It paints American SOF as heroes and dares to present a scenario where are southern border is a Maginot Line.
How DARE MOVIE PRODUCERS DO EITHER!?!?!
In the movie the RPG-7 that hit the SEAL was said to be a dud. I too thought they had a certain time until the warhead activated .... but I don't know what it is and whether or not the device was supposedly fired from that distance in the movie ... ? ? ?
This is DEFINANTLY joining my DVD collection as soon as it's released. Dang ....Rush Limbaugh already has his....:grumble::grumble::ek::ek::duh:

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Tommy. I'd hate to think I led anyone astray here. :wink:

Yeah, wish I had Rush's connections. It's GOOD to be the king!

 

[TommyGunn]

....When outnumbered they keep fighting, but they're fighting their way to extract. They take out a bunch of bad guys in a camp during a hostage rescue op, but once discovered and are set upon by about a 45 man QRF, 7 guys don't blow away 45 armed terrorists...they run, with their rescued hostage to where they know they have some serious firepower waiting to cover them.

Serious firepower? !
Wow! Those guns didn't go ratatatat, they literally screeetched and spat casings out by the carload!

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Tommy. I'd hate to think I led anyone astray here.

Best advice ever. BTW I am not only waiting for the DVD I think hit had a terrific music score; waiting for the CD as well!!!!

 

[WaltGraham]

I'm currently watching Commando; you mean one guy can't take out a hundred...

 

[dfariswheel]

Two things give you an idea of how effective SEALS are.

1. The Mudg and a lot of other unfriendly people around the world are absolutely terrified of the Men With Green Faces.
The mere rumor that the SEALS may be about sends them into a horrified panic.
The Afghanistan Mudg get some points for being brave enough to actually fight them. Most of the others around the world find somewhere else they need to be RIGHT NOW.

2. It's a high-end status symbol in the Mid-East for the hyper wealthy and various royalty to have retired SEALS as body guards. They have such a reputation that someone protected by them is considered "off limits" to any attack, even most suicide attacks.

For the best read available on just what it takes to become a "deployable SEAL" today, read former SEAL commander Dick Couch's book, "The Finishing School".
BUD/S is simply a method of weeding out the unqualified. Once that's out of the way, the few who are left are considered to be potential SEALS and the real training begins.

The book goes into unclassified detail on just what they have to do to become a SEAL.
It's a 36 month course that after reading the book you wonder how any mortal man can make it through.
After reading the book you also understand the incredible reputation the SEALS have.

 

[phantom4570]

We hear a fair amount about the Navy Seals, some about the Army Rangers, a bit about Delta Force. I don't hear the Green Beret's mentioned. Were they disbanded or just skilled at staying out of the news?

 

[TommyGunn]

I'm currently watching Commando; you mean one guy can't take out a hundred...

That's a documentary ..... right?:cryinlaugh::cluebat::angel::sm_angel::bolt:

 

[TommyGunn]

We hear a fair amount about the Navy Seals, some about the Army Rangers, a bit about Delta Force. I don't hear the Green Beret's mentioned. Were they disbanded or just skilled at staying out of the news?

See;
Special Forces (United States Army) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They're still around.