Chase Stokes and Lana Condor star on this strong, if unspectacular, army thriller.
PLOT: With tensions between North and South Korea, a US helicopter crashes on the North Korean facet, now the survivors should work collectively to guard a civilian tech specialist and discover their manner out with out the assistance of US army help.
REVIEW: A warfare movie starring two actors who seem in widespread teen dramas from Netflix doesn’t precisely scream top quality. And given the time of the yr, it’s simple to enter Valiant One with rock-bottom expectations. And I feel that mindset will solely assist the movie because it’s surprisingly competent in practically all facets. As evidenced all through indie motion, it’s actually laborious to perform plausible motion on a price range. And seeing as how that’s the primary draw for most individuals, it must be dealt with competently. So I used to be very impressed with how a lot Valiant One was in a position to preserve its actuality via its motion.
This Chase Stokes and Lana Condor automobile follows a squad of US troopers, crashing into the North Korean mountains whereas on a mission. Unable to get any correct army help, they’ve to succeed in a landmark that can hopefully cause them to salvation. Using North Korea as a foul man is ballsy and the “inspired by a true story” moniker helps to floor this one additional. Nobody is ever going Rambo mode or taking a bunch of bullet hits and surviving. These are often the precise trappings that indie motion typically falls into in an effort to face out.
I used to be nervous the youth of Stokes and Condor would deliver an unbelievability to those troopers however they’re absolutely dedicated to their roles and convincing. It additionally served as a reminder of how younger our troopers are usually. There are occasions when it may well really feel a bit like youngsters enjoying fake however the shootouts are likely to floor the scenes. The non-shootout motion isn’t very impactful, first signaled by the extraordinarily weak helicopter crash. I often hate CGI blood hits however for some motive, they’re dealt with very effectively right here. They really feel like they really exist within the atmosphere, which is usually an enormous mark towards them.
Lana Condor is nice because the medic of the group. I went into this with low expectations given her typical style of movie isn’t motion, however she matches in properly. She nails the heavier moments. Stokes additionally does an excellent job, even when his character doesn’t prolong previous “generic good guy.” Valiant One doesn’t do an amazing job with any of the characters who aren’t Stokes or Condor, and so they’re roughly fodder for the story. However even then, I used to be impressed with the emotional impression of a number of of the deaths. I simply want we might have gotten extra pure interactions previous to the shit hitting the fan.
At one level, the colour temperature of a scene shifts so drastically, that it’s virtually a night-to-day transition. The film is continually at odds with itself with the presentation. There are some eye-roll-inducing title playing cards one second and a few well-executed motion the subsequent, adopted by some tacky dialogue. They hit practically each stereotype you’ll be able to think about. Can we please retire having the Lord’s Prayer being recited in intense moments? It’s performed out by now.
Valiant One is the sort of motion film that your dad and mom will love, however these demanding extra from their motion will possible dismiss it. With competent performing, an intriguing story, and well-executed shootouts, I discovered myself actually having fun with my time with the movie regardless of its flaws. It may be very stereotypical and the fabric isn’t precisely difficult, however everybody concerned actually impressed. It is a easy story that units a transparent objective to perform and does so in an entertaining manner. And I’ll all the time root for impartial movies that, towards all odds, really options plausible motion. It’s a rarity.
VALIANT ONE RELEASES TO THEATERS ON JANUARY 31ST, 2025.
