Review of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016) by Jaime L — 15 Jun 2017

"Billy Lynn should've had a long walk in the clouds and waited until the filmmakers can find a better movie for him. Ang Lee is one of the greatest directors I know but this movie feels like a missed opportunity.".

DVD Movie Review: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.

Date Viewed: February 24 2017.

Directed By Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi, The Ice Storm, Brokeback Mountain, Sense and Sensibility and Hulk).

Screenplay By Jean-Christophe Castelli, Based on the novel by Ben Fountain.

Starring: Joe Alwyn, Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin, Makenzie Leigh, Astro, Beau Knapp, Arturo Castro, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Barney Harris, Mason Lee, Ben Platt, Bruce McKinnon, Laura Lundy Wheale and Tim Blake Nelson.

Billy Lynn should've had a long walk in the clouds and waited until the filmmakers can find a better movie for him. Director Ang Lee's new war drama "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" is a movie that feels plagiarized and plastered in by anti-war demonstrators. I have great respect for Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi, Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) but this movie feels like a missed opportunity. He has put together a strange but fine cast in his corner but what Lee forgot to do is to add layers into his story. "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" was also the first drama to be presented in 4K HD resolution in selected 3D theaters and to have a frame rate at 120 frames per second. It was bold move by Lee and the filmmakers but it didn't sit too comfortably me.

Based on the novel by Ben Fountain, the movie centers around a 19-year-old Army specialist named Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) as he is being honoured for his act of courage during an intense firefight in Iraq. Lynn was caught on camera dragging his wounded Sergeant Virgil "Shroom" Breem (Vin Diesel) who later dies in combat to safety and engaging in an intense firefight with Iraqi insurgents. For his act of bravery, Lynn and his fellow army buddies from Bravo Squad led by Sgt. David Dime (Garrett Hedlund) take part in a weeks-long victory tour across the country and they get invited to the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving football game. Lynn and his fellow brothers-in-arms will also take part as stand-ins in the halftime show's musical performance where they will be joined by Destiny's Child.

The movie journeys through flashbacks to Billy's tumultuous time as an Army specialist in Iraq and to Billy's homecoming tour where he takes his time to be reunited with his family. Kristen Stewart plays Billy's older sister, Kathryn Lynn who doesn't approve of America's actions in the Iraq war and she holds a dear sibling bond with Billy.

Billy joined the Army because he had to. He destroyed his sister's boyfriend's car after he dumped Kathryn after she got involved in a car accident which left her crippled and acquired multiple reconstruction surgeries. Because of the accident and the destruction of the car, Billy had two choices join the army or face some jail time. Since Lynn and the members of Bravo Squad are instant celebrities, they get approached by film producer Albert Brown (Chris Tucker) who wants to strike a movie deal with them and even Dallas Cowboys owner Norm Oglesby (Steve Martin) joins along in investing Albert's movie.

As Billy Lynn carries through his burdens, he even has the time to score a girlfriend in a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader named Faison (Makenzie Leigh). Director Ang Lee has a well-meaning message somewhere in "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" but there is just nothing going on. The dramatic level gets missing in the realities of war aspect and the screenplay by Jean-Christophe Castelli commits the greatest sin by telling a war movie how to feel. However, Kristen Stewart's performance is the one silver lining that keeps "Billy Lynn" alive.

Newcomer Joe Alwyn is fine here as the title character but I felt that he needed to add more charisma and depth to his character. Ang Lee is one of the greatest directors I know but he should've gone back to square one and focus more on the realities of war and giving Billy Lynn a bit more edge and bite.