The basic idea of Uncommon Valor is so interesting that it's all they can do to make a routine formula movie out of it. But they do.
50
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Action fans may well find Uncommon Valor enjoyably familiar, but for others it will smack of war movie dej a-vu, despite the new angle provided by its concern for American soldiers missing in action in Vietnam.
50
TV Guide Magazine
TV Guide Magazine
Hackman's performance, beautiful photography by Stephen Burum and Ric Waite, and some effective action direction from Ted Kotcheff make this watchable, but the jingoist wish-fulfillment inherent in the material is ultimately disturbing.
40
Variety
Variety
All of the top talent involved - especially Gene Hackman - is hardly needed to make Uncommon Valor what it is, a very common action picture.
0
Boston Globe
Boston Globe
With Ted Kotcheff's hackneyed direction and Joe Gayton's cliche-ridden script, this version of "Missing" for the soldier of fortune set is one of the most reprehensible exploitation films of the year.