Movie:
Uncommon Valor, originally released in 1983, was directed by Ted Kotcheff. Kotcheff also directed Rambo: First Blood, North Dallas Forty, Weekend at Bernie's, and Switching Channels. The film stars: Gene Hackman (Col. Rhodes), Fred Ward (Wilkes), Reb Brown (Blaster), Randall "Tex" Cobb (Sailor), Patrick Swayze (Kevin Scott), Tim Thomerson (Charts), Harold Sylvester (Johnson), and Robert Stack (MacGregor).

In 1972, there were 2500 American soldiers listed as MIA as a result of the Vietnam War. Many believed that American soldiers were being held as POWs in Vietnam; one such man was Colonel Jason Rhodes, whose son, Frank, is MIA. Rhodes spent ten years searching for Frank and gathering information. In 1982, he believes that he's uncovered Frank's location in Laos. With the help of a wealthy oil tycoon, Rhodes assembles six men, five of whom served with Frank; the other is Kevin Scott, a weapons expert. The seven of them go through rigorous training exercises in an exact replica of the POW camp that they believe Frank, along with other POWs, is held in. After completing their training, they head to Bangkok to begin their mission. But the CIA is waiting for them and confiscates their weapons. Determined to go ahead despite this setback, the team must improvise on their old plan and save the POWs.

I hadn't seen Uncommon Valor before, but it was a film that I thought was pretty good. The movie only slightly touches on the politics of MIAs/POWs and the Vietnam War, instead focusing on one man's quest to find his son. There is no doubt, in my mind at least, that Gene Hackman is the glue that holds the film together. The other actors aren't really given the opportunity to flesh out their characters, but Hackman's Colonel Rhodes seems genuinely haunted by memories of his son and driven to recover him.

Picture:
Uncommon Valor is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The transfer is remarkably clean, with no marks or scratches present and only a few specks and some minor shimmering. However, there is varying amounts of grain throughout the film, which does give the picture a soft look and less saturated colors in several scenes. Despite that, colors throughout most of the film are solid and rich with accurate flesh tones. Blacks are decent throughout as well.

Sound:
Uncommon Valor is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in English, Dolby 2.0 Surround in English, and Dolby 2.0 Mono in French. The front speakers showcase most of the action and display some directionality in the effects. The rear surrounds are rarely employed, even at the end's combat-heavy conclusion. Dialogue throughout the film was clean and easy to understand. English captions are also included.

Extras:
No extras.

Summary:
Uncommon Valor is an average film whose highlight is Gene Hackman's performance. Fans of Hackman or those looking for a decent action film about the Vietnam War should consider Uncommon Valor as a rental, as the MSRP of $29.95 seems unreasonably high for what you actually get. Rent it.