Logline: A U.S. helicopter goes down in North Korea and a group of reserve soldiers must find a way out before starting a war.
Valiant One is directed by Steve Barnett, written by Barnett and Eric Tipton, and stars Chase Stokes, Lana Condor, Desmin Borges, Daniel Jun, Jonathan Whitesell and Callan Mulvey. The film hit theaters on January 31 and tells an excellent story of overcoming the odds and finding the leader within you during your darkest moment. Chase Stokes strongly portrays US Army Soldier Edward Brockman, a young man who has plans to better himself outside of the service. He is counting down his time to departure and is not fully engaged as a leader. Stokes is paired with the equally talented and believable Lana Condor who plays Army Medic Selby, who is great at her job and prepared for the mission. The team is rounded out by a group of good actors with Daniel Jun, a real-life Republic of Korea Marine Corps veteran turned actor, who portrays U.S. Army Soldier Wilson Lee, contractor Josh Weaver played by Desmin Borges, and Jonathan Whitesell as the aggressive soldier Jonah Ross. Callan Mulvey portrays a likable and believable senior enlisted Soldier with a short time on screen. The directing work is good and the pacing keeps the viewer engaged in what is coming next.
The film is initially set in South Korea, and the team is sent on a mission to repair communications close to the North Korean border. They make it on the ground the weather shifts to where the mission is cut short. The team lifts off into the storm in the helicopter and is blown across the border into North Korea. The helo crashes injuring and killing soldiers. Brockman makes it out and begins to gather surviving soldiers. He finds Selby, Lee, Ross and Weaver. The team makes their way out without being able to reach headquarters via the radio. They encounter North Korean soldiers searching for them and must advance through enemy territory without bringing the whole North Korean military onto them. Brockman is thrust into a leadership position he didn’t expect and evolves into a decisively good combat leader.
The team transverses many challenges throughout their journey back to South Korea. The movie is worth watching and so as not to give any spoilers, you have to see it yourself. The acting is solid, and the situation is very real as it could happen one day, pending the circumstances between the U.S. and North Korea. I most enjoyed Chase and Lana’s comradery and teamwork in the dire moments when their lives are threatened. Even in the less intense periods in the film, both have good military-style conversations with some jokes. The action sequences keep you on edge and they are spaced efficiently throughout the film. All the important acting elements, the military gear, tactics and the situation resonated with me on many levels. I highly recommend this well-made and inspirational film to veteran and civilian audiences. I would give this film 3 ½ out of 4 Red Star Clusters.
WATM sat down with Chase and Lana about their experiences with Valiant One. A link to the video version of the interview is below the text version.
Can you describe your inspiration for the role?
Chase: I had this conversation with our director Steve Barnett. Todd Sharbutt is a retired senior enlisted Navy SEAL with over 25 years of experience. He is an incredible human being. He was the punk rock kid in high school who was always getting in trouble when Steve reconnected with him, which was the turning point for making this film. At their 25-year anniversary [they reconnected], Todd told Steve that he was a Navy SEAL so they went and had coffee to talk more. This is an ode to Todd…I knew that mentality of the punk rock kid in high school who didn’t give a shit and ends up being this [amazing] guy. I went to the Army/Navy game with Todd and seeing General George (US Army) tell Todd and look him in the eye, “Thank you for your service. You are a true American hero.” I knew that but to see it at that level was mind-blowing to me. This film in the role of Brockman is my gift back to Todd for all the things he gave us.
Lana: I come from a military family as well. My brother is currently stationed in Japan and my uncle is a General in the Air Force. Another one of my uncles is a veteran as well. I really wanted to make them proud of my choice in taking on this role. I picked their brains a lot to try and understand the things they have been through and their mindset when they served. I am so blown away by the men and women who serve. I wanted to find a way where I can really show the women who serve that I see them and am so grateful for their service. How strong and powerful they are….That was going through my head when doing my research and in preparing my character. All of the training that we went through. Once we started shooting, it was helpful for me and very humbling.
What did you find most challenging for the roles?
Chase: The most challenging thing was really making sure there was an authenticity to it. There was no stone unturned. Somebody like yourself who served to watch this film and feel seen. I’m very thankful we had someone like Todd who was able to help us navigate this space from the way that we tie our boots to making sure our plate carriers are positioned correctly. That our patches are on. In talking with veterans, they have told me the patches won’t stay on sometimes. Little things, like touching the patch to make sure it stays down. I wanted to make sure those things were authentic and real. Because without people like yourself and veterans who have served, we don’t get the opportunity to make films like this. I didn’t want to bullshit it and didn’t want to cheat anyone who is serving for this country.
Lana: I echo so much of what Chase just said. I know we talked about it all the time and Chase would call me to say, “We can’t mess this up.” The most challenging for me was how physically demanding it was. We wanted it to be very realistic so our gack (term for gear) was real. My rucksack, medical kit was stuffed to the brim. There was no Styrofoam to be seen. The weapons were heavy and real. The helmets were heavy and real. For me, one of the most challenging things was moving with that much additional weight on my body. I looked that challenge in the eye and it took time to get used to that kind of weight. It changed my center of gravity. I had to learn how to hold myself differently to support all the different resources we have on our body.
