Valiant One (2025) - Film Review

      **Valiant One, 2025**

      Directed by Steve Barnett.

      Featuring Chase Stokes, Lana Condor, Desmin Borges, Callan Mulvey, Diana Tsoy, Daniel Jun, Jonathan Whitesell, Stephen Adekolu, Ronald Patrick Thompson, Leo Chiang, Dimitry Tsoy, Jerina Son, and Tyrone Pak.

      **SYNOPSIS:**

      Amid heightened tensions between North and South Korea, a US helicopter crashes on the North Korean side. The survivors must collaborate to safeguard a civilian tech expert and navigate their way out without US military assistance. The opening text claims that "heroes aren’t born, they are made," indicating co-writer/director Steve Barnett’s *Valiant One* has minimal ambitions reminiscent of a military recruitment ad. Clocking in at just 80 minutes, the film depicts a U.S. Army unit entering a demilitarized zone in South Korea for technical repairs (whatever it may be, it's supposedly crucial for American peace of mind). After completing their task, they encounter a storm—illustrated with subpar special effects—which diverts them off course, leading to a crash landing in North Korea. Their only chance for a medevac is to trek through the jungle to a rendezvous point with the U.S. military.

      Now under the leadership of analyst Edward Brockman (a bland Chase Stokes), who is thrust into the role despite his lack of field experience, *Valiant One* progresses through a series of uninspired emotional moments and action scenes that lack dynamism. Alongside fellow soldiers, particularly Lana Condor’s Selby, they stealthily navigate until they inadvertently become involved in a scenario featuring civilians, a language barrier, and a young girl they decide to protect. The characters possess little personality, and the film feels predominantly like a propaganda vehicle promoting military heroism while making half-hearted gestures toward unity among North Korean, South Korean, and Korean-American civilians.

      When analyzing the events of the mission, the idea of heroism becomes questionable. A gruesome execution scene appears to serve merely as a contrived setup for the soldiers to exhibit heroism, despite the Army being a direct consequence of the tragedy placing them there. The screenplay by Steve Barnett and Eric Tipton (with a story credit to Daniel Myrick) fails to address this nuance, and while the language barrier complicates matters, there is an unsettling lack of interest in delving into character development or storytelling through action. One might find more narrative depth in 90s first-person shooter games, which arguably lack the same propagandistic intent.

      Even the basic storytelling of a novice soldier evolving into a brave hero lacks impact. The action scenes are wholly forgettable, apart from the peculiar decision to background most of them with hip-hop music fused with the original score by Benjamin Backus, culminating in a dull shootout in an underground cave (foreshadowed in the media's res opening). *Valiant One* is adequately constructed and remains coherent, yet watching Army recruitment videos would be a better use of time; they convey the same jingoistic messages without masquerading as a poor film.

      **Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★**

      Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He also serves as the Reviews Editor for Flickering Myth. Check here for new reviews and follow me on BlueSky or Letterboxd.