Talk:Act of Valor

Thoughts?

Saw the trailer when I went to see Courageous. I thought it looked pretty sweet. What do you guys think? - User:1morey October 14, 2011 9:38 PM (EST)

I'm seeing first showing on opening day. Spartan198 21:37, 14 November 2011 (CST)

It looks pretty impressive, even moreso in that actual SEALs were involved on-screen, not just in a behind-the-scenes consulting role like in most war films. I heard parts of this were actually retained for training purposes due to the degree of realism in the tactics and methods used in the film. Orca1 9904 22:26, 14 November 2011 (CST)

Overall, I thought the movie was lame, but that's the Marine combat vet side of me speaking, so I'm biased. On the plus side the violence and body count side of the movie is nice, and they don't try to gloss over the bloodier parts of it. But, couldn't they have put an M-14 or two in there somewhere, for old-time's sake? Maybe just for the sniper dude or something? The SEALs I know love their M-14s and I know they still carry them on some missions, just wish they would have thrown one in there. Travestytrav 01:18, 29 February 2012 (CST)

Apparently none of the SEALs in this one opted for M14s and I doubt the filmmakers had any leeway in what they used either. Besides, by this time they would have replaced their M14s with Mark 14s. Spartan198 01:40, 1 March 2012 (CST)

Personaly, I thoguht they were underarmed. The whole 8-man team had M4s, exept for the sniper. None of them had M203s, M249s, or M60 variants. I've always gotten the impression the SEALS, like most special forces units, tend to be over-armed. Yet in the movie, the squad would be outgunned by any infantry squad in the world. --Mandolin 15:39, 1 March 2012 (CST)

No, SEALs, as with most Special Operations Units, tend to be armed with as much as they need. The only time their ever over-armed is if their mission is expected to exceed a specific time set or they feel as though they need more than usual. SOU's choose their own armaments based on what they feel they may need to complete the mission. Puppet.of.fate 16:47, 1 March 2012 (CST)

You're never over-armed. You might not need a machinegun or grenade launcher but, as the saying goes, better to have and not need than to need and not have.--Mandolin 21:33, 1 March 2012 (CST)

Agreed. The first rule of battle is: Never fight fair. They had to know they'd be going up against guys with assault rifles in every operation, which means you always bring more than just assault rifles. They should have had at least one belt-fed weapon (more likely 2), and at least one (more likely 2) M203 if for no other reason than to shoot non-lethal and/or pyro rounds. I imagine everyone was carrying M4s to make production easier, especially since some of it was apparently live-fire. Travestytrav 03:37, 2 March 2012 (CST)

True, but you're talking about Special Operations Units, they only carry what is necessary to get the job done. And you don't always bring more than assault rifles, sometimes they run only SMG's and pistol's. And they may know everything possible about a mission but in a second things can change but they do their best to play it in their favor. And as I stated before they choose their armaments, if they didn't think it necessary they wouldn't take it. If they need to move quick their not going to carry a belt-fed, they want light equipment to make the job easier. Puppet.of.fate 14:19, 2 March 2012 (CST)

It's SOF/SF (Special Operations Forces/Special Forces), not SOU. Also, for what it's worth, the novelization has a Mk.46 and Mk. 12 being used on the resque mission. On the other hand, the novelization is sufficiently bad that it's best to ignore it. For a work associated with Tom Clancy, it's both over-descriptive and wrong about guns. And you ALWAYS need more firepower. You are NEVER over-armed. And why on earth did they leave the machine gunners behind for the last mission? There were 3 SEALs with SAWs, and they got left behind on the mission they were realy needed on.--Mandolin 16:06, 4 March 2012 (CST)

Frst, they go by either. People need to stop reading wiki, most of the info there is pretty faulty. Second you were the first to say "SOU's" were usually over-armed, so don't try and act like someone else threw it out there. You don't alwas need more fire power, if you trully need knew anything about Special Operations they almost always never carry more than they need unless they feel it necessary. What they do is ment to be done quick and their gear is always ment to be light, hence why they run the "newest of the new" equipment. One of the many reasons they are the best of the best is because they can get the job done with as little as possible. You have to remember it's still a movie, no matter how realistic they make it, things always change from novel to movie. The SEALs had a big say in how things were done, it may have been their choice to leave the three back. Puppet.of.fate 21:18, 4 March 2012 (CST)

I've never seen them refered to as "SOU", and I read a lot (not much wikipedia either). I do know a good bit about various special-ops stuff. And when did I pretend that someone else claimed they were over-armed? A 9-man sqaud in the US army has 2x M249s and 2x M203s, every other country's squads are the same or heavier. The squad in the movie went in underarmed, "Newest of the new" has more to do with better than lighter. "Light and move fast" is nice, until a bunch of bad guys come after you and you don't have any way of stoping them. An M203 round or couple of bursts from an M249 would have realy slowed down the pursuers. I know it's a movie, that's why the machine gunners got left behind, they're not main characters.--Mandolin 13:08, 5 March 2012 (CST)

You continually keep replying "You are never over-armed", and making it sound like someone else said they were. I've already said this before, if you actually "do" know anything about Special Operations you would know they don't function nor run the same equipment, tactics, and missions as regular troops. Oh and read a bit more, you'll find them referred to as "SOU". And if you knew the answer to your own question, why ask it? Puppet.of.fate 13:39, 5 March 2012 (CST)

SEALs don't go by "Special Forces" because they aren't Special Forces, Special Forces are Special Forces. SF isn't a generic term in the US military, it refers to a specific unit, that being the US Army Special Forces. Spartan198 22:00, 5 March 2012 (CST)

Extended Trailer

I've got some additional pics from the extended trailer that I'm going to upload. Pics show a strange carbine-length sniper rifle that I can't ID (fore-end is that of an M4 with fixed FSP and KAC RIS, but it appears to have a 7.62 magazine), a Mark 11 variant (can't see the fore-end to ID which one exactly), FN Mags, FN Minimis, a possible M60D, and a handheld M60 (can't tell which variant because I can't see all of it). There's probably more, but I'll go over the trailer with a fine tooth comb later. Spartan198 22:38, 14 November 2011 (CST)

Upon closer examination, the handheld M60 is just another M240G. Spartan198 02:57, 15 November 2011 (CST)

Unknown Sniper Rifle

Take a look.

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M4 fore-end with a 7.62 mag. Any ideas as to what it is? Spartan198 23:06, 14 November 2011 (CST)

Possably a SEAL Recon Rifle? See: http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/5515/sealsnipers6uy1.jpg (Wrong photo)scarecrow 00:04, 24 December 2011 (CST)

That's a Mark 12 Mod 1, not a RECCE Rifle. RECCEs are a 16" breed, in addition to being 5.56. The rifle above has a 7.62 mag. Spartan198 09:02, 24 December 2011 (CST)

Ah, sorry, theres a RECCE rifle on the same page i got the photo from which i can't seem to find now :(, that said it could still be a 5.56 with a 20rnd mag, films do a have a history of making things look larger than they actually are *cough* preditor M134 anyone? scarecrow 00:16, 25 December 2011 (CST)

Mag still looks too big to be 5.56 to me. But whatever it is, I'm pulling that screencap from the SR-25 entry on the main page since it's clearly not an SR-25 by the short barrel and fixed front sight. Spartan198 17:20, 26 December 2011 (CST)

Okay, I just got back from the movie and this rifle is definitely a 7.62. It's the same rifle that's in the screencap under the SR-25 entry (which I removed and placed here). I'm thinking maybe an AR-10 carbine? Spartan198 16:10, 24 February 2012 (CST)

Live Fire

Apparently this film is gonna use live fire,which is an extreme rarity for films. Gonna be interesting to see though

I don't believe this for a second as live ammunition is pretty much prohibited from a film set unless it's in a 100% locked down and closed environment. --cool-breeze 20:52, 23 December 2011 (CST)

I wouldn't be so sure, if you watch the trailer the miniguns on the boats are spewing out regular empty brass rather than fired blanks. --commando552 21:11, 23 December 2011 (CST)

See those look like blanks to me, and that one shot is a close up so it could have been shot on a locked down location, film editing is a clever thing ;)--cool-breeze 22:18, 23 December 2011 (CST)

According to BLACKFIVE.net, it's nearly all live ammo. He saw a screening of it, talks about it here ( http://www.blackfive.net/main/2011/10/update-act-of-valor.html ). RC 5213

Nearly all being the key word, i doubt any of the shots with anything other than the actual seals in the film where live fire and I doubt any of the actors used live fire. scarecrow 00:33, 25 December 2011 (CST)

I still doubt that it was live ammo, it just seems so implausible that it would be allowed, what if one of the bullets ricocheted, missed the target, etc. It seems like an absolutely unnecessary risk to use live ammo. --cool-breeze 04:16, 25 December 2011 (CST)

thats the whole idea of franagle ammunation scarecrow 23:32, 3 January 2012 (CST)

Pretty sure it would just be the SEALs using live ammo, the actors are probably using blanks. Yes it is dangerous, but the SEALs are trained to be excellent shooters so I can believe it. Bristow8411 14:30, 25 December 2011 (CST)

But like you say it's dangerous and seems like a stupid risk to me. --cool-breeze 18:09, 25 December 2011 (CST)

The film was shot during various SEAL training exercises and uses them as action set pieces, so it is possible that is what the article is referring to. --Markit 22:20, 26 December 2011 (CST)

Yea, if i remember correctly this was originaly made to be a recruiting video for the SEAL's that turned into a film.scarecrow 23:33, 3 January 2012 (CST)

My understanding from this featurette is that the live fire was done how the live fire in Miami Vice (2006) was done. Shoot the shit out of whatever you want shot, then add any people you need in the scene after. --Crazycrankle 06:58, 14 January 2012 (CST)

[1] The making of video shows that they used both blanks and Live Fire.

Just my two cents, I thought the movie was lame, but one thing I did notice was how realistic some of the weapons' firing sounded, so it doesn't surprise me that some of the shooting was live-fire. I would say any live-fire shooting was being done by the SEALs since it was only the M4s firing that sounded real. Most of the pistol shooting and ALL of the AK-47 shooting sounded fake. Travestytrav 01:09, 29 February 2012 (CST)

Live fire was definitely used in some (or all) the miniguns on the river boats. In a flyover shot, you can see the barrels get red hot on the miniguns, I doubt that can happen with blanks, as it is the friction of the bullets going down the barrels that causes the barrels to get red hot. I'm pretty sure if it was just blanks, the gases don't hang around long enough to warm up the barrel that much.

Something clearly wrong with the front sight.

[[2]] Is it just me or there is some kind of "solid" front sight? Or,could it be just water? Littlesoldier1 18:03, 26 February 2012 (CST)

Looks like just water to me. Spartan198 18:29, 26 February 2012 (CST)

Guns

I think I saw a M933 or Mk18 on the yacht, though it may have just been a M4. Also, a gunman in one of the trucks seemed to have a Beretta M12 or Walther MPL/MPK, any ideas? A few bad guys had pistols, but I couldb't see them well.--Mandolin 20:32, 28 February 2012 (CST)

I thought I'd saw a Mark 18, too, but it didn't appear anywhere else, so I presumed it to be just another M4. Spartan198 01:34, 1 March 2012 (CST)

This website as a photo of SEALs with Mark 18s and as far as I can tell this is the only time they are used in the movie.

http://www.filmofilia.com/act-of-valor-tv-spot-87064/