Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is not your typical Ang Lee (Lust, Caution, Hulk) film. It doesn’t have the effortless flow near the sweeping landscapes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi, or Brokeback Mountain. While these three movies netted the legendary director three Best Director Academy Award nominations, including two wins, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk likely will not earn him nomination number four. It’s awkward and clumsy at times. It has unnecessary elements in it. Most importantly, it lacks any immediate or emotional impact that the trailers lead you to believe it has. The premise felt very much like Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Father. I expected much more from these movies than from what was delivered. Nevertheless, there were some good things about Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. It is much better than its current 43% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The intentions of this movie were good. Topics like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the way we, as Americans, treat our current troops are essential. Though many might think that this movie is set in the present day, the setting is 2004…just months after American troops in Iraq captured Saddam Hussein. Throughout the film, the eight protagonists are asked, “What’s it like over there?” or “Are we making a difference?” Lee takes an exciting look at these questions and other questions. Sometimes, he has his characters give the standard military answer but at different times (through sidebars that only the movie audience can hear).
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk certainly isn’t a controversial movie or even a political one. Instead, it supports the actions of Bravo Squad, a unit of American soldiers who are on a publicity tour through the United States after Lynn (newcomer Joe Alwyn), a courageous specialist, throws caution to the wind and comes to the aid of his fallen sergeant (Vin Diesel – The Fast and the Furious, Saving Private Ryan) after he is shot in the line of duty and is left completely defenseless. He then drags Sergeant Shroom to a foxhole, killing a couple of insurgents with a pistol in the process and then literally fighting one of these men in hand-to-hand combat. A video of Lynn risking his life to save Shroom’s life circulated throughout America, making the young specialist an instant hero.
The last stop on tour for the eight-man unit is at the Dallas football team stadium (the equivalent of the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium) to be part of a special recognition Thanksgiving Day halftime tribute. The NFL didn’t give rights to use the names of its teams, players, or stadiums in Texas, but it’s clear that this is the annual Dallas Cowboys game that always has an extravagant halftime show. Even team owner Norm Oglesby (Steve Martin – Parenthood, Shopgirl) plays his character exactly like Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones.
The film takes place over Thanksgiving Day with flashbacks to the day that made Lynn a household name. I often love it when a movie successfully incorporates flashbacks, and this movie did just that. The war scenes aren’t the best, but you can tell how close the unit was. I’ve never seen a war movie with characters who say, “I love you” to one another and mean it like they do in this movie. It’s a tight-knit group that can joke hard with each other and point out their faults, but who would? I found it interesting that each of the other seven characters played as much of a role as they did. Each had his nuances and traits, and Lee brought those to light. But the focus was undoubtedly on Lee and his sergeant, David Dime.
This movie was flawed, as most other Lee movies were not. He seemed to have different agendas, not all of which were clear and not all that were executed correctly. The trailer makes this movie look like it could be the movie of the year with the back-and-forth between events at the halftime show and the battle scenes in Iraq. We can see the pain and utter turmoil he wears on his face as he tries to remain focused in the present while unable to escape the events of that day. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the same emotional impact as the trailer. I sensed that going in with its less than favorable score with the critics, but I was convinced I wanted to see this movie and make my own decisions. But the feelings the critics had were the same that I had. There was a lot that Lee was trying to say that prevented him from doing any one thing great.
In addition, a few side stories probably weren’t necessary, but the movie needed a little more substance that it wouldn’t have had without these things. These included a movie deal that agent Albert (Chris Tucker – Rush Hour, Jackie Brown) insisted on getting signed before the unit was sent back to Iraq (which was set to happen after the game). Tucker plays the comedic relief in this movie, but he isn’t the goofy FBI detective we are used to seeing in the Rush Hour franchise. He’s a bit more even-leveled here, and he appreciates the efforts of our soldiers. Still, his job in this movie is to get a movie deal for the story that he claims could net each eight men $100,000. This is one of the prevailing themes of this film that Lee tries to bring out. The soldiers are nothing more than propaganda. Their spot at the halftime show is to march and be displayed along with Destiny’s Child (yes, Beyonce) and a parade of dancers. It’s klutzy and flat. There is no preparation. Bravo Team is told what to do minutes before they are supposed to do. Fights break out between some of the soldiers and members of the stadium crew. You must abandon your wits to believe what is happening could happen.
Kristen Stewart (Still Alice, Into the Wild) is Billy’s sister, Kathryn, and serves as the political consciousness of the movie. However, her performance is wasted. We learn that she is the real reason Billy is even in the war (he must pay her medical bills). I think it’s good to understand the various reasons why each team member entered the military. But Ford focuses on Kathryn’s injuries when he doesn’t need to. Her real purpose is not to serve as the reason Billy entered the military but to talk Billy out of returning (the unit is set to return to Iraq right after the game). You also have Makenzie Leigh (television’s Gotham), who plays Faison, a Dallas cheerleader who spends probably 15 minutes with Billy. Perhaps hopeless romantics Billy and Faison strike up a relationship, and we are supposed to believe that the two have fallen in love in a matter of three hours. It’s all a little much.
Ang Lee is ambitious, having previously taken chances and struck gold. While Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk had potential, it is too grandiose for its own good. More time would not have helped it. Had it been any longer, it would have received even lower scores from the critics. While Lee tried to incorporate many different perspectives, most characters did not have a lot of depth. A lot of the conversation was fodder. There was a lot of fodder for a movie that should have been much richer.
This movie certainly isn’t a must-see. If you’re flipping around cable one day and it comes on, give it a chance. If it doesn’t capture you in the first 15 or 20 minutes, it probably won’t end up doing so at all.
Plot 8.5/10
Character Development 7.5/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 7.5/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing 7/10 (not Ang Lee’s best movie)
Cinematography 8.5/10
Sound 8/10
Hook and Reel 8/10 (it keeps you involved even if it doesn’t necessarily keep you entertained)
Universal Relevance 9/10 (sadly…)
80%
C
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