Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walkis a well-intentioned misfire that cannot live up to its higher aspirations.
As multitude continually praise the bravery of the troops and Hollywood attempt to negociate a film lot to produce a feature film continue their exploits , Billy is invariably cue of the horrors he faced in the Middle East and how his experience have affected him in person . His one-time sis Kathryn ( Kristen Stewart ) is concern about Billy ’s upbeat and would favor if he found a way out of active duty . With his clock time Stateside running out , Billy must make a rugged decision and watch what exactly he is committed to .
accommodate from the bestselling novel by Ben Fountain , Billy Lynn ’s Long Halftime Walkis hail director Ang Lee ’s attempt at a war drama . Lee , a two - time Oscar succeeder , has demonstrated an uncanny ability to intermix outstanding technical prowess with compelling report that betroth an audience , so the hope was thatBilly Lynn’scould be a standout entry in a classic musical style and be a contender in this class ’s awards backwash . Unfortunately , it comes up short . Billy Lynn ’s Long Halftime Walkis a well - intentioned misfire that can not live up to its higher breathing in .
The playscript , credited to Jean - Christophe Castelli , is a mixed bag . On the positive side of thing , Billy Lynn’sdoes a salutary job of lay down a gumption of camaraderie between the soldiers of Bravo . The banter the characters share is endear and entertaining , making the group feel like a fully - form family . Garrett Hedlund , who plays Sgt . David Dime , is decisive in selling this dynamic as the drawing card of the team . Dime is one of the film ’s strongest supporting characters , keeping his soldiery in pipeline while also having their backs . Hedlund testify a nice range , getting present moment where he is sarcastic , no - nonsensicality , and get laid . While Dime and Lynn have the most cover time out of the tout ensemble , each member of Bravo is given their own personality , fleshing the team out in way that feel natural .
Where Castelli struggles is in the structure of the narration . Billy Lynn’sattempts to balance multiple storylines , and sealed subplots take precedence over others . For example , a sexual love story involving Billy and Dallas cheerleader Faison Zorn ( Makenzie Leigh ) is heavily hasten and come off as more histrionic than gain . Leigh and Alwyn make for a nice twosome , but the circumstances environ their kinship will make it difficult for some viewers to purchase in . The screenplay also contains a figure of flashbacks as certain elements in the present solar day trigger Billy ’s memories of the reality of war . Some of these do employment , and give Vin Diesel a chance to shine as Billy ’s mentor " Shroom , " but the frequency at which they occur return the film a choppy tone . Because of this , Billy Lynn’sseems longer than its sub - two 60 minutes rivulet clock time would have you believe , particularly since there is n’t much to the story to begin with . It meander through portions and is bore rather of compelling .
Alwyn makes his feature film introduction here , and for the most part , he makes for a becoming lead . The newcomer ’s performance is grounded , as he comes across as a low , kind - hearted youngster overwhelmed by his current situation . As write , Billy is a bit of a blank ticket design for audience to externalise themselves on , but Alwyn makes the most of the material present to him . In terms of the digest plaster cast , Kristen Stewart is a standout . Once again , the formerTwilightstar try out there ’s more to her than the vacant Bella Swan persona , paint Kathryn as a implicated sibling whose biggest priority is looking after her brother . Stewart appears in only a fistful of scenes , but she makes a hard impression and is creditworthy for some ofBilly Lynn’smore resonant emotional beats . Steve Martin also has a nice go as Norm Ogelsby , the Dallas football squad owner who claims to be very concerned in Bravo ’s fib .
Surprisingly , Lee ’s directorial approach creates some hurdle the movie ca n’t quite unmortgaged . He expectantly has a solid hand at stage the various determined piece , such as the elaborate halftime concert and the war sequences , but not all of his decisions pay off . sealed scene could pull viewers right out of the film ( see : obvious " Destiny ’s tyke " stand - ins ) and create a gulf . Lee also ca n’t completely determine if he wantsBilly Lynn’sto be a biting caustic remark of the time period it ’s set in or a more serious eccentric subject field . By the goal , it feels a moment uneven due to tonal incompatibility and an arguably out - of - place meta slant with Albert ( Chris Tucker ) , the man trying to land Bravo ’s movie deal . Lee may have been better swear out doubling down on one element over the others , instead of try out to craft a mashup of fashion .
In the end , Billy Lynn ’s Long Halftime Walkis a mediocre warfare dramatic event that aim high , but ca n’t stick the landing . For all its sound portion ( particularly the shape ) , the moving-picture show has one too many defect it can not overcome , despite having its center in the right stead . Those who were intrigued by the marketing may be inclined to check it out , but as Oscar season stir up up , casual moviegoers can opt for one of the other films currently playing and wait to take their own halftime walking at a later day of the month .
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Billy Lynn ’s Long Halftime Walkis now play in U.S. theaters . It run 110 moment and is rated radius for oral communication throughout , some war violence , sexual content , and abbreviated drug utilisation .
Billy Lynn ’s Long Halftime Walk was directed by Ang Lee , who was creditworthy for iconic films like Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi . The film revolves around a soldier from the Iraq War set to receive the Silver Star . Becoming somewhat of a celebrity , the gentleman’s gentleman and his unit are able to tour the area and will be seen during the halftime show at a football game game , simultaneously finding out after the biz they must manoeuvre back to active responsibility .
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk was directed by Ang Lee, who was responsible for iconic films like Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi. The film revolves around a soldier from the Iraq War set to receive the Silver Star. Becoming somewhat of a celebrity, the man and his unit are able to tour the country and will be seen during the halftime show at a football game, simultaneously finding out after the game they must head back to active duty.
