This week on the podcast, Glenn and Daniel dial down the cynicism just a bit and ruminate on the nature of patriotism, warrior culture, and propaganda as a neutral descriptor in their discussion of Act of Valor, a new action film featuring real-life US Navy SEALs. (32:33)

May contain NSFW language. Act of Valor will be in theaters this Friday, February 24th.

FilmWonk rating: 7/10

Show notes:

• “Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”
  We mention this rather poignant quote/poem by Tecumseh, which makes a truncated appearance in the film’s voiceover. It can be read in its entirety here.
• I briefly (and halfheartedly) tried to source some music from Nathan Furst’s original score for the film, but much like the score itself, I lost interest in my search rather quickly. As such, this week’s music comes from Hans Zimmer’s original score for The Rock, which seems apropos for this film.
• We refer to an interrogation scene that takes place halfway through the film, and due to the secrecy surrounding the SEAL cast of this film, we were unsure about the cast and scripting of this scene. The answers, according to The Washington Post: Yep, he’s a real SEAL, and the scene was entirely improvised. Bravo, sir.

Listen above, or download: Act of Valor (right-click, save as).