# Valiant One
**Valiant One** is a 2025 American military thriller directed by Steve Barnett, in which a US Army helicopter crashes deep in North Korean territory and the surviving non-combat soldiers must escort a civilian tech specialist back across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) without US military support.[1](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/valiant-one) It stars [Chase Stokes](https://www.edgepedia.org/chase-stokes), Lana Condor, Desmin Borges, and [Callan Mulvey](https://www.edgepedia.org/callan-mulvey), and was released theatrically in the United States on January 31, 2025 by [Briarcliff Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/briarcliff-entertainment).[1](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/valiant-one) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Steve Barnett (directorial debut); screenplay by Barnett and Eric Tipton, story by Daniel Myrick[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one) • [3](https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/valiant-one-2025-c/) |
| Cast | Chase Stokes (Edward Brockman), Lana Condor (Selby), Desmin Borges (Josh Weaver), Callan Mulvey (Chris Lebold), Daniel Jun (Wilson Lee)[1](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/valiant-one) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one) |
| Release | January 31, 2025 (theatrical, wide); February 18, 2025 (streaming)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one) |
| Distributor | Briarcliff Entertainment; produced by Monarch Media, Factory Underground, Goldmann Pictures, and Brightlight Pictures[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/valiant-one/) |
| Box office | $1,254,945 worldwide ($1,236,630 domestic, $18,315 international); opening weekend $735,099[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt21442114/) |
| Reception | 29% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (17 reviews) against a 77% Popcornmeter audience score[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one) |
| Rating / runtime | R for violence and language throughout; about 1 hour 27 minutes[1](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/valiant-one) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
A routine mission goes awry when a US Army helicopter, carrying a team of non-combat tech specialists, is blown off course and crashes deep within North Korean territory. With their communications equipment destroyed and the US military unwilling to provoke a wider conflict, Sergeant Edward Brockman (Chase Stokes) and Specialist Selby ([Lana Condor](https://www.edgepedia.org/lana-condor)) must lead the survivors, including civilian tech specialist Josh Weaver (Desmin Borges), through hostile terrain toward a designated evacuation point and a daring crossing of the treacherous DMZ.[1](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/valiant-one) • [6](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/valiant-one-2025/)
The setup places the team at [Camp Humphreys](https://www.edgepedia.org/camp-humphreys) in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, about 60 miles south of the DMZ, on a mission to escort a civilian defense contractor to maintain surveillance installations near the North Korean border; the commanding officer, Chris Lebold (Callan Mulvey), is mortally wounded in the crash and passes command to the reluctant Brockman.[7](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/hollywood-news/article/valiant-one-review-an-indistinct-war-drama-23562178) Sources differ on Brockman's rank: [Universal Pictures Home Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures-home-entertainment) and the film's opening identify him as a sergeant, while Rotten Tomatoes and Common Sense Media call him a captain.[1](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/valiant-one) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one)
## Origin and production
**A true-story seed.** Barnett has said the film is inspired by an incident recounted by a high school friend named Todd, a Navy SEAL master chief with SEAL Team Three. At a high school reunion the two reconnected, and Todd told Barnett that the one mission on which he believed he would die was a routine helicopter flight escorting a Raytheon technician to Patriot missile installations along the South Korean border, when the aircraft hit weather.[8](https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/faithmediaandculture/2025/01/valiant-one-producers-steve-barnett-and-alan-powell-on-the-return-of-patriotic-movies.html) Barnett described the project as a dream project that took over a decade to bring to fruition.[9](https://pamphleteer.co/post/gen-z-goes-behind-enemy-lines/)
**Filming.** Production took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, including studio work at The Bridge Studios in Burnaby, with filming dates of September 26 to November 1, 2022.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21442114/locations/) The schedule combined studio interiors with location shooting in the forests and mountains around Vancouver, with the production working to make the settings resemble the Korean DMZ.[11](https://netfilming.com/valiant-one-filming-locations/) A Q1 2025 box office preview listed the film's budget at $10 million.[12](https://live.screendollars.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-Q1-Preview.pdf)
**Producers.** The film was produced by Barnett, Bernie Goldmann, and Alan Powell for Monarch Media, whose previous releases included the faith-based musicals *A Week Away* and *Journey to Bethlehem*; Brightlight Pictures lists Shawn Williamson, Aaron Au, and Vicky L. Patel as executive producers.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one) • [13](https://www.patheos.com/blogs/reelfaith/2025/01/valiant-one-brings-inspiring-military-tale-to-the-screen.html) • [14](https://www.brightlightpictures.com/project/valiant-one)
## Reception
The film earned mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and stronger marks from verified audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 29% Tomatometer from 17 reviews (5 fresh, 12 rotten) with an average rated review of 4.60/10, while the Popcornmeter audience score stands at 77% from more than 50 verified ratings.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one) Richard Kuipers of *Variety* called it "an unpretentious B-movie made with A-grade effort" with decent action and mostly sturdy drama;[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one) Dennis Schwartz graded it a C, calling it "dull and forgettable" and criticizing the climax shootout in an underground tunnel.[3](https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/valiant-one-2025-c/) Common Sense Media, which recommends the film for ages 16 and up, described it as a gritty, violent DMZ military thriller with a strong heroine, noting that Condor's Selby demonstrates military courage and that the film keeps humanity centered rather than presenting violence for its own sake.[15](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/valiant-one)
Commercially, the film grossed $735,099 in its domestic opening weekend and $1,236,630 domestically against $18,315 internationally, for a worldwide total of $1,254,945.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt21442114/)
## Themes and intent
The filmmakers framed the movie as a human story about reluctant leadership rather than a political statement; its opening on-screen message reads "Heroes aren't born … they're made."[8](https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/faithmediaandculture/2025/01/valiant-one-producers-steve-barnett-and-alan-powell-on-the-return-of-patriotic-movies.html) • [6](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/valiant-one-2025/) Barnett and Powell said they wanted to make a film that military personnel would recognize as true to life, and the production included attention to military culture, including the use of prayer.[13](https://www.patheos.com/blogs/reelfaith/2025/01/valiant-one-brings-inspiring-military-tale-to-the-screen.html)
## References
1. [Valiant One, Universal Pictures At Home](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/valiant-one)
2. [Valiant One, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valiant_one)
3. [Valiant One (2025) C, Dennis Schwartz Reviews](https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/valiant-one-2025-c/)
4. [Valiant One Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/valiant-one/)
5. [Valiant One (2025), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt21442114/)
6. [Valiant One, Plugged In movie review](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/valiant-one-2025/)
7. [Valiant One review: An indistinct war drama, Mid-Day](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/hollywood-news/article/valiant-one-review-an-indistinct-war-drama-23562178)
8. ["Valiant One" producers Steve Barnett and Alan Powell on the return of patriotic movies, Beliefnet](https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/faithmediaandculture/2025/01/valiant-one-producers-steve-barnett-and-alan-powell-on-the-return-of-patriotic-movies.html)
9. [Gen Z Goes Behind Enemy Lines, The Pamphleteer](https://pamphleteer.co/post/gen-z-goes-behind-enemy-lines/)
10. [Valiant One (2025) Filming & production, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21442114/locations/)
11. [Valiant One Filming Locations, NetFilming](https://netfilming.com/valiant-one-filming-locations/)
12. [Screendollars Box Office Preview, First Quarter 2025](https://live.screendollars.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-Q1-Preview.pdf)
13. ['Valiant One' Brings Inspiring Military Tale to the Screen, Patheos](https://www.patheos.com/blogs/reelfaith/2025/01/valiant-one-brings-inspiring-military-tale-to-the-screen.html)
14. [Valiant One, Brightlight Pictures](https://www.brightlightpictures.com/project/valiant-one)
15. [Valiant One Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/valiant-one)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2010s › Survival and disaster thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license