It's a furiously macho saga scripted by the screenwriter of 300 and starring real Navy SEALS, those always-get-their-man men of mystery. full review

Fighting is a learned skill; so is acting. And the SEAL stars are plausible only when on maneuvers - performing as their own stunt doubles. full review

When the bullets are flying, Act of Valor is undeniably tense and thrilling. full review

I don't know what to make of Act of Valor. It's like reviewing a recruiting poster. full review

The special ops missions are pretty amazing, but the SEALS as dramatic characters are under-developed. full review

The bad guys, who specialize in funny beards, funny accents, and shaved heads, would feel right at home in an Austin Powers movie. full review

As a piece of filmed entertainment, "Act of Valor" will never be mistaken for "Top Gun," but it's a heck of a recruitment video. full review

These guys ... are the real deal. And any hero worship given them - badly done or not - is still deserved. full review

A mechanically efficient yet soulless dramatization of the U.S. Navy SEALs in action. full review

Although the Seals continue in fine form, the co-directors seem fatigued from the journey, allowing their once-clean style to degenerate into a typical mishmash of clutter and bombast. full review

While subtleties and pacing are MIA, the filmmakers know how to shoot action and they make the most of it in Act of Valor. full review

The movie doesn't pretend to be anything but propaganda, a modern-day cousin to the morale-boosting documentaries made by John Huston and Frank Capra during World War II. full review

Refreshing as it is to see the military portrayed as something other than a band of neurotics and creeps, there's a reason this brand of rah-rah and bang-bang didn't outlast the age of Whitesnake and Marty McFly. full review

The exercises are genuine, and so is the hardware. But the script undermines the sense of authenticity at every turn. full review

Just barely a movie, "Act of Valor" is more like a high-quality recruitment video with interstitial acting. full review

Employing Navy troops as stars is a clever idea for an action thriller. But the soldiers' awkward line readings are glaring enough to distract from the potency of the story. full review

The filmmakers are so intent on shooting the real SEAL deal that they forget this is supposed to be a movie: We need a story. full review

Unsurprisingly, the finished product plays like a pumped-up recruitment commercial deemed fit for feature length and multiplex viewing. full review

The merging of dramatic re-creations and on-camera "performances" proves less seamlessly executed than those masterfully coordinated land, sea and air missions. full review

I think these real-life action heroes deserve a better movie. So does the audience. full review