The last thing Sgt. Brockman wanted was to lead.
It’s not that big of a mission—they’re to escort a signals analyst to a malfunctioning radar unit in the Korean Demilitarized Zone so he can get it up and running again. In and out, it should only take 20 minutes. There theoretically shouldn’t be any risk. Still, Brockman groans when he’s assigned the task. He would much rather be back at the base.
Just hours later, he’s waking up, cut up and unconscious.
The blade of the helicopter he was in rotates dangerously close to his face. They’re on the ground—brought down by an unexpected strong storm. And after he’s free from the wreckage, he quickly learns that the chopper got carried deep into North Korea before crashing down.
They’re stuck behind enemy lines. And with the U.S. military unwilling to provoke a greater conflict, they’re told that they’ll need to travel towards a designated evac spot before they can get any help.
The last thing Sgt. Brockman wanted was to lead. But as North Korean soldiers close in around them, it’s exactly what he’ll need to learn how to do if he wants to bring his soldiers home.
When one survivor of the crash, unimpressed by Brockman’s leadership, threatens mutiny, the others shut him down immediately. And while the others obviously have some doubts about their chances, they never falter in staying true to Brockman. The squad, though argumentative before the crash, grows into a more cohesive unit via the stressful situation.
In one tense encounter, Brockman’s soldiers come across a North Korean civilian family. Though they can’t speak each other’s language, the situation slowly resolves as both groups indicate that they want peace. Despite the communication barrier, they all bond via music and food. And when their peace gets interrupted by enemy soldiers, both the U.S. soldiers and the family commit to keeping the family’s young daughter safe.
A man, recognizing that he’s likely about to die, requests that Brockman tell his son that he loves him. A few people choose to sacrifice themselves to protect others.
A man prays the Lord’s Prayer before death.
When two men trade insults, someone suggests they “should get a room.” A man takes a shower, though we don’t see anything.
The helicopter crash leaves many injured and one soldier dead. Another member of the squad gets pinned under the wreckage, and he says a piece of metal is stuck through his hip. Another soldier suffers compound fractures in his legs and head trauma, and we see blood soaking his pants because of it.
A mortally wounded member of the squad blows himself up with a grenade to take a few enemies with him. A male and a female civilian are both executed. Someone gets stabbed multiple times and is killed. Someone else, shot in the stomach, bleeds to death. About two dozen other soldiers die in gunfights. A man seizes and passes away. Many of the deaths contain at least a small spray of blood.
Someone says that if caught, the enemy soldiers would rape him with a pole as a form of torture. A tense standoff nearly leads to someone unknowingly shooting a child.
We hear the f-word more than 100 times, including three uses with “mother.” The s-word is used roughly 40 times. “A–” is heard four times. Other vulgarities, such as “b–ch,” “d–n,” “d-ck” and “b–tard” are used once or twice each. God’s name is taken in vain 10 times, including three uses with “d–n.” Jesus’ name is misused once.
Soldiers give a wounded man morphine. Someone mentions that his dad was an alcoholic. A song lyric references driving while inebriated.
Someone considers putting others in danger hoping to save himself.
Military movies often come with morals. And Valiant One is no different.
The movie’s main message is succinctly summarized in the phrase that flashes onto the screen at the beginning of the film: “Heroes aren’t born … they’re made.”
And as Brockman (Chase Stokes, Outer Banks) and Cpl. Selby (Lana Condor, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) find themselves stuck behind enemy lines with battle experience and ammo both in limited supply, they’ll learn just how tough that hero-making process can be.
For them, it includes fighting dozens of North Korean soldiers to the death, some of which can contain intense action and some blood. And for moviegoers, that process also includes more than 100 uses of the f-word, nearly 40 of the s-word and a handful of misuses of God’s name.
And that aspect of these brave soldiers’ fight for survival may be more than many families are willing to endure.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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