Chase Stokes and Lana Condor star in this solid, if unspectacular, military thriller.
PLOT: With tensions between North and South Korea, a US helicopter crashes on the North Korean side, now the survivors must work together to protect a civilian tech specialist and find their way out without the help of US military support.
REVIEW: A war film starring two actors who appear in popular teen dramas from Netflix doesn’t exactly scream high quality. And given the time of the year, it’s easy to go into Valiant One with rock-bottom expectations. And I think that mindset will only help the film as it’s surprisingly competent in nearly all aspects. As evidenced throughout indie action, it’s really hard to accomplish believable action on a budget. And seeing as how that’s the main draw for most people, it needs to be handled competently. So I was very impressed with how much Valiant One was able to maintain its reality through its action.
This Chase Stokes and Lana Condor vehicle follows a squad of US soldiers, crashing into the North Korean mountains while on a mission. Unable to get any proper military assistance, they have to reach a landmark that will hopefully lead them to salvation. The use of North Korea as a bad guy is ballsy and the “inspired by a true story” moniker helps to ground this one further. No one is ever going Rambo mode or taking a bunch of bullet hits and surviving. These are usually the exact trappings that indie action often falls into in an effort to stand out.
I was worried the youth of Stokes and Condor would bring an unbelievability to these soldiers but they’re fully committed to their roles and convincing. It also served as a reminder of how young our soldiers tend to be. There are times when it can feel a bit like kids playing pretend but the shootouts tend to ground the scenes. The non-shootout action isn’t very impactful, first signaled by the extremely weak helicopter crash. I usually hate CGI blood hits but for some reason, they’re handled very well here. They feel like they actually exist in the environment, which is often a big mark against them.
Lana Condor is good as the medic of the group. I went into this with low expectations given her usual genre of film isn’t action, but she fits in nicely. She nails the heavier moments. Stokes also does a good job, even if his character doesn’t extend past “generic good guy.” Valiant One doesn’t do a great job with any of the characters who aren’t Stokes or Condor, and they’re more or less fodder for the story. But even then, I was impressed with the emotional impact of several of the deaths. I just wish we could have gotten more natural interactions prior to the shit hitting the fan.
At one point, the color temperature of a scene shifts so drastically, that it’s practically a night-to-day transition. The movie is constantly at odds with itself with the presentation. There are some eye-roll-inducing title cards one moment and some well-executed action the next, followed by some cheesy dialogue. They hit nearly every stereotype you can imagine. Can we please retire having the Lord’s Prayer being recited in intense moments? It’s played out by now.
Valiant One is the kind of action movie that your parents will love, but those demanding more from their action will likely dismiss it. With competent acting, an intriguing story, and well-executed shootouts, I found myself really enjoying my time with the film despite its flaws. It can be very stereotypical and the material isn’t exactly challenging, but everyone involved really impressed. This is a simple story that sets a clear goal to accomplish and does so in an entertaining way. And I’ll always root for independent films that, against all odds, actually features believable action. It’s a rarity.
VALIANT ONE RELEASES TO THEATERS ON JANUARY 31ST, 2025.
