Valiant One is a 2025 American political thriller film directed by Steve Barnett from a screenplay by Eric Tipton, Steve Barnett, and Daniel Myrick. The film is set to be released in the United States on January 31, 2025.
The film follows a team of U.S. Army technicians on a routine mission near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. During the mission, their helicopter crashes deep inside North Korean territory. Captain Edward Brockman (Chase Stokes) and specialist Selby (Lana Condor) must lead the group through dangerous terrain, without communication with backup, in order to escort a civilian technical expert to safety.
The film balances action and survival, and places its characters in situations where morality, fear, and leadership are put to the test.
Steve Burnett uses a raw and direct stylistic approach—landscapes, environments that suggest a hostile nature, and moments of tension where the atmosphere is almost cold. The effects and action scenes are moderate—not a big blockbuster, but rather an intense human rivalry for survival. The direction relies on a realism in the danger—limited resources, lack of support, and physical and mental trials—that makes the threat seem real.
Valiant One is a relatively clean war thriller that offers some suspense, survival, and well-placed action scenes. If you're looking for something heavy, gritty, with moral questions, you might like this film. But if you're looking for something more unpredictable or deeply psychological, you might be left feeling like the potential is half-baked.
