![]() ![]() ![]() They put a series of explosions in the path they know the enemy will take. They whirl around because they know an enemy is about to appear. "Uncommon Valor," however, is one of those irritating movies where the actors sometimes act in a way that makes sense only if they already know what's going to happen next. The results of violence are unpredictable. In convincing action movies, the actors never seem to anticipate anything. In fact, I believed it minutes before Hackman revealed it. What's he doing there? Would you believe he's the kid brother of one of the missing POWs? I would. The old veterans are joined in training, for example, by an untried kid. One of the most awkward elements in the movie is the way it springs unsurprising surprises on us. But then they're told off by the Texas millionaire who's financing the mission - and that's that. There is an early attempt at intrigue, when we see mysterious CIA types spying on the training sessions. They're necessary to set up the climactic payoff we see the dry runs so the real thing will seem more exciting.Īll of this proceeds with lead-footed predictability. Then come the rehearsal scenes, with a mockup of the POW camp. They only left out the Hell's Angel and the priest. We're not surprised to discover that the buddies include a surfer, a sculptor, a black business executive and a convict. We know they're going to be involved in a variety of peacetime lifestyles. We know Hackman is going to find most of his son's old buddies. Halfway through the opening scenes, we're saying the lines ahead of the actors. How, then, did they come up with this forced march through two hours of clichés? The movie rips off " The Dirty Dozen" and countless lesser movies, giving us three basic elements: (1) assembling of the team, (2) rehearsal and (3) the raid. The director is Ted Kotcheff, who made strong male-action movies such as "North Dallas Forty" and the Sylvester Stallone Viet-vet story " First Blood." And the star is Gene Hackman, who combines heart with threat as well as any actor in the movies. And the first-rate talent assembled for "Uncommon Valor" suggests the moviemakers were hoping to do just that. ![]()
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