Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016) User Reviews (125)

This is a good movie

[spencergrande6 · 7/10 · 4 July 2017]

This is a good movie. All the discussion about it surrounds the technology used in making it, and that's necessary, but it's not the whole story -- nor is it NOT the story as others would have you believe. The simple fact is that this is a well-acted and at times completely engrossing anti-war picture, one that is more often than not, yes, let down by some of the failings of trying to show off the tech. Some scenes come across as incredibly "stage-y" for lack of a better word, and the lighting can be overlit fluorescent too often (like a docudrama).

However, that being said, I did have the pleasure of actually being able to see this on 3D bluray and I must say it's absolutely the most stunning 3D I think I've ever seen. There's an incredible amount of depth to so many scenes -- sometimes it's showy, but sometimes it's in service of the story like when Billy comes home and the entrance hallway seems to stretch on forever out in front of him, inviting him in to its embrace but also providing a dark trap. The essential conundrum, the doublethink, at the center of his inner workings.

Ang Lee wrings some thought-provoking ideas and visual compulsion, but they are not enough to compete with its lack of emotional touch

[Screen_Blitz · 5/10 · 3 July 2017]

The politics of war are incredibly complex, and the human cost is disturbingly high. There are no wonder why those who give up their lives to fight oversea are honored with great dignity. But the big question in this war drama directed by Oscar Winner Ang Lee is: Are we honoring these soldiers the right way? That is an idea that this film takes a dive in, but not with enough impact. Lee's approach to the absorbing topic is too shallow of emotional touch. The greatest accolade Lee acquires in this picture is allowing it to shine with a unique visual innovation, and that is shooting the film with an unheard-of frame rate of 120 FPS to capture the immense atmosphere of the war sequences. It is a technological achievement that powerfully shows how far Hollywood has advanced in technological. Seeing this movie at a theater with an unusual frame rate that high is an alarmingly tough get as there are only six theaters around the globe that include this, with only two of these theaters planted in the United States. Set in 2004, this follows 19-year old Billy Lynn (played by Joe Alwyn), an Army specialist returning home from active duty in Iraq with his fellow squad members. On the day of a Thanksgiving home game at the Dallas Cowboys stadium, Billy, honored as a hero for his duty, and his squad members are brought together on a victory tour during the halftime show. During the tour, Billy is hit with flashbacks of the tragedies that occurred during the battle in Iraq including the death of his friend Staff Sergeant Shroom (played by Vin Diesel) as opposed to the American citizens fantasized perceptions of what they think happened over there. Along the way, he finds his heroism manipulated by film producers Norm (played by Steve Martin) and Albert (played by Chris Tucker) who are trying to land a movie deal out of the events that squadron's faced.

Based on the novel by Ben Fountain, this drama capitalizes on themes of patriotism and honor, and opens light on social issues that run between the grim realities of war and the distorted views of active combat by citizens back at home. The primary concern here deals with home civilians including the media exploiting the heroism soldiers acquire during active duty overseas, simply for our own personal gain. As disconcerting as it is, one thing this film proves is that unless you have been in active combat, you have little or no idea of what it is realistically feels like being in active combat overseas. Director Ang Lee makes an engaging point out of this concept. But alongside, the film also introduces these contradictions on how soldiers are celebrated by citizens for their active duty, yet people all over America continue to disdain war as an unnecessary bargain; an idea that the story never fully explores. From there on, the story slips into a jumbled mess and offers little emotional touch to the point where viewers are left with no impact. The film's emotional highpoints stand during the flashbacks of the title character and his squad fighting in Iraq which are powerfully shot and executed in authenticity. It's too bad that these scenes only make up a small portion of the near-two- hour runtime, while the majority the picture follows Billy and his squadron walking through the stadium during the halftime show with Destiny's Child performing and fireworks going off. If this manages to wring anything out of the story's framework other than its absorbing ideas, it is the performances, particularly Joe Alwyn as Billy and Kristen Stewart as his older sister, given the opportunity to flex her acting muscles. The rest of the cast offer some good on screen presences, operating with a sense of cynicism and humility. Looking for something Oscar- worthy though, you are probably better off looking elsewhere.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is a shallow war drama that fails to arrest viewers with its timely themes and Ang Lee's scattershot approach to an otherwise thoughtful examination of its eponymous character versus America's fantasized perceptions of war. Although the final product is disappointingly forgettable, some may admire Ang Lee's effort on embracing the film with his visual innovation. However, its a technological effort that is too early to introduce in major theaters at this point.

Technically ambitious and breathtaking, but lacking in substance

[bigmystery23 · 7/10 · 16 October 2016]

The moment the audience saw the first shot of Billy Lynn reaching for his phone, the audience gasped. Ang Lee's ambitious choice of filming at a frame rate of 120fps in a 4K and 3D format is beyond words. We become immersed into Billy Lynn's world, seeing the little details that we normally would not see in a film (imagine what Emmanuel Lubezki did in 'The Revenant' and times it by 5). The person I went with to see the film described it best, it was a very sensual experience not just from the cinematography, but also the interesting soundscape and phenomenal editing. There are small moments when what would be a mundane action becomes a trigger for Billy Lynn and his squad. Lee does not hold back in making the audience feel the PTSD of those soldiers which at times is beautiful done as well as a bit too much for those of us who have never experienced it. Now I could go on about how brilliant the film is technically and it's sure to get some Oscar recognition in that aspect, but all films revolve around a story.

What could have been an amazing film merely becomes an OK film because of the story's weakness. I read an article where the critic trashed Ang Lee, but to be honest it's not Lee who's to blame but whoever wrote the script. The script is so dull and because of that the audience never got the full immersion we were hoping to get. The only person we connect to by the end of the film is Kristen Stewart's character, yet that isn't even delved into. The relationships between the characters aren't developed very much except for one relationship that is developed WAY too fast and in the most unrealistic way possible. You can get a sense of a strong bond between Lynn and his squad, but just barely.

As for the acting, Kristen Stewart was definitely the standout. Joe Alwyn did a great job, too, but not the memorable debut performance I was hoping to see. Vin Diesel and Steve Martin are truly miscast (this may just be me being picky, but every time they came on screen I felt very uncomfortable).

To sum this up, I'm giving this movie a 7 out of 10 because of the technical brilliance and the experience of watching a film in this frame rate, though be warned that the story is very weak. Some people are going to find the 120fps very strange, but for the cinephiles who have an open mind, you'll be blown away.

Another solid addition to the career of everybody involved here

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 16 March 2017]

"Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" is a co-production between America, Britain and China and the latter is probably because the director here is 2-time Academy Award winner Ang Lee. This is the man's newest work. No need to elaborate further on him as most people certainly now "Brokeback Mountain", "Life of Pi" or some of his other works. With this film here that runs for slightly under 2 hours, he gives us his take on war-themed movies as the Iraq War is a huge topic in here. But still I must say, it was a good watch for me, even if sometimes war films do not have the greatest impact on me. The reason may be that there are other maybe more important plots in here that made it pretty interesting for me, for example the protagonist's background back home. For lead actor Joe Alwyn this was the very first career performance for him and we will see what he can make of it in the long run. Playing the title character in an Ang Lee movie is a really big thing though. And for screenplay writer Jean-Christophe Castelli, who adapted the Ben Fountain novel here, it was also the first effort as a writer. For that it was pretty solid, but of course he worked with Lee on many other occasions too.

Now for the film itself. It had some really good moments, like the scene of the desperate fight and the death of Vin Diesel's character (wait what? how isn't he unkillable? he is Vin f***ing Diesel no). But my favorite scene was still the one with the soldiers at the halftime show and how they stand there and how we see them while listening to Destiny's Child's song "Soldier". It really includes all the absurdity one could imagine, with what these men have been through and how the general public sees them. Many people have respect probably, but very few understand what they have been through and the scenes with the security staff are the perfect example of that. As a huge Kristen Stewart fan, I was also happy to see her in here and I think she played her role very well, even if the illness aspect was probably not as effective as it could have been with the monetary references about her treatments. It was still nice to have her in here, even if people who don't like her (and God knows there are many) will probably not be convinced by what they are getting in here.

In general, I would not say that this is an actors' movie (despite the inclusions of known names like Hedlund, Tucker or Martin), but it is much more of a scenario movie if you know what I mean. It's about the stark contrast between war and life in the United States, maybe even taking the geographic component into account. And while I would not say that this is anywhere near my very favorites from 2016 I believe that, as I wrote in the title, it's a pretty good work by Ang Lee again, and everybody else who worked on it. The scene with the DC song I mentioned earlier is a contender for best 5 scenes of 2016 for sure because there is so much you can feel during it and write about it. There are some weaknesses with the film too, but nothing really really bad. I personally would have preferred a bit more chronology actually, but that is just personal perception and taste. The good definitely outweighs the taste and I recommend this film to anybody because of its amazing contemporary value. See it.

Hero (un)wanted

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 25 July 2017]

This sees a couple of soldiers back on in the good US of A. But they are in between, because they are supposed to go back to the war zone. One in particular is praised as a hero, for what he did on the battlefield. And while he is not highest in rank, he is the one most are concentrating on. The story too, with his struggle and his flashbacks to the day that made him "famous".

There are quite a few stars in this, some in really small roles (like Vin Diesel or Kristen Stewart), but what is important, is that everyone involved gives their best and it shows on screen. You may know where this is going, but it still is a very fine watch. A tough movie to watch, with obvious stabs at many thins (media attention, praise but also false heroism and much more) ... it really is like a mirror showing a couple of bad sides of society. Then again, is there a chance to change?

Some effective moments, but overall a letdown

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 17 November 2016]

Greetings again from the darkness. "Thank you for your service." For those of us who have never served in the military, we say the words because we don't know how else to show our appreciation. Do the words ring hollow to those in uniform? Maybe. Probably. But how else can we honor these brave souls? What if we have them share a stage with a pop singing group during halftime of a football game? It's this line between honor and propaganda that takes up much of the new movie from two-time Oscar winning director Ang Lee (Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain).

The story is based on Ben Fountain's 2012 novel, and revolves around soldier Billy Lynn's and his fellow "Bravo" squad members as they make the rounds back home (in 2004) for publicity after their intense battle sequence is caught on camera. There is much at play here: how the soldiers interact with each other, how they are treated by the general public, how they are used by the team's owner and the Army for self-serving reasons, and how Billy juggles the stress of war, the spotlight of heroism, and the demands from his family.

Director Lee opted to experiment with the ultra-realism of the new 120 frames per second in 4k 3D, rather than the standard 24 fps. Though this may seem like a minor detail that shouldn't be addressed in a review of the movie, it's impossible to ignore this impact. Technical advancements in film and digital have resulted in some exciting new effects for movies, but this high speed approach creates a soap opera look and feel that will likely be disorienting to many viewers. Although the full effect will only be available in New York and Los Angeles (due to shortage of projectors), the clarity on the close-ups is distracting, while leaving the background quite fuzzy and out of focus. Many will find this new look to be "not right" for a movie, and prefer the traditional look. Others may embrace the heightened sense of reality … of being right there with the characters. Of course, this is Ang Lee's film, so there is no shortage of stunning visuals and expert shots.

Beyond the technical aspects, this movie is simply a bit clunky to watch, not very well written (screenplay by Jean-Christophe Castelli), not very well acted, and has an overall awkward and unfinished feel to it. Kristen Stewart plays Billy's sister, and her limited screen time is the best part of the movie. Newcomer Joe Alwyn makes a decent reluctant (and lucky) hero in playing Billy, but he doesn't have the chops to overcome the script weakness and the burden of carrying so many scenes. This is especially obvious in his unrealistic bonding scenes with cheerleader Faison (played by Makenzie Leigh). Their scenes together are nearly unwatchable.

Supporting work comes from Vin Diesel as Billy's philosophical officer in recurring flashbacks to the war, Garret Hedlund as the current squad leader, a miscast Steve Martin as team owner Norm Oglesby (a Jerry Jones type), and Chris Tucker as the incessantly yammering agent/producer trying to put a movie deal together for the soldiers. Other minor contributors include Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McKinnon (in horrible make-up), Ismael Cruz Cordova, Deidre Lovejoy, and a couple of All-Pro players in Richard Sherman and JJ Watt.

Since there are some interesting and important elements to the story, the assumption here is that most effort went towards the experimental technical aspects. More attention to scene detail could have more effectively contrasted the soldier's take on war versus the never-ending inclination of Americans to turn most anything into more and bigger entertainment … even Destiny's Child isn't enough. The questionable filmmaking decisions leave us with the shell of a good story, and too many sappy close-ups of actors emoting directly to the camera lens. The soldier vs hero debate deserves better, and the propaganda aspect deserves a more critical eye.

Despite Ang Lee's greatest efforts, this film just can't rise above being more than a gimmick.

[trublu215 · 4/10 · 20 November 2016]

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk gives us the workings of cinema master Ang Lee in this boisterous, ballsy film that wishes it was better than what it is. The film tells the story of a hero solider who returns home to be on display at a Super Bowl Halftime show, as he is about to make his long walk, he is plagued with bouts of PTSD that force him to recount exactly what happened to him. The film's concept is great, there's no denying that. This could have easily been a straight forward drama without all the technicalities that Ang Lee put into it. Yes, 120fps makes it VERY easy to look at but outside of that, the substance to make have some sustainability is just not there.

The film takes us on the journey of Billy Lynn from home, from the battlefield, from the halftime show. While we always know where Billy Lynn is coming from, we don't know where he is going. Lee creates a beautiful image but lacks developing any sort of meaningful relationship with Billy Lynn. Despite a strong performance from newcomer Joe Alwyn along with the rest of the cast, there's nothing really substantial here. The supporting cast featuring Garrett Hedlund, Kristin Stewart and Vin Diesel are all stellar in their own rights but without a well told story backing them up, their efforts feel useless.

Overall, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is beautiful to look at and definitely keeps in line with Ang Lee's Life of Pi more so than with any of his other films but what Life of Pi had in the way of story, this film lacks every step of the way. We know we're supposed to care about these characters, we are just not given a good enough reason to. If you're a fan of Ang Lee or cutting edge cinematography, definitely give this a watch. Outside of those two qualities, it's a film that is hard to recommend.

Not Actually A War Movie

[ssunzhong · 9/10 · 19 March 2017]

This will be short and to the point. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is not a "war movie". It is not a propaganda picture about American Imperialism, it is not a recruitment poster, and it is most certainly not an action movie. War, in all its complexity, is incidental to this film. Billy Lynn just happens to be a soldier and the events that kick off the film happened at war.

This is a film about labels.

From the moment Billy is labeled a "hero" by the press for doing something he didn't have time to think about, his life is consumed. He comes a symbol to everyone he meets, even those who are supposed to love and know him best.

To the Army, he becomes a recruitment tool. They send him on tour to be the Face of the War despite accomplishing nothing more than anyone else in his unit.

To Hollywood, he becomes a character. A fiction to be utilized in winning more accolades for people who already have plenty of it.

To his admirers, he becomes a "hero". A walking uniform onto whom one can pin all their unfulfilled aspirations and unrealistic expectations. One whose hand they can shake and be freed of all responsibility.

To his sister, he becomes a victim. An unwilling pawn of an unjust war, no matter how he himself feels about it.

To everyone, Billy Lynn becomes everything except Billy Lynn. The flesh and blood and memories of the person disappears into the mystique of heroism, until the only people left who still see it are his fellow soldiers. And the only place left where he isn't a symbol, the war.

This is not a war movie. If that is what you are expecting, don't see it.

Ang Lee is a magician, fictional story about a Texas soldier home from Iraq.

[TxMike · 11 December 2021]

Recently with all the publicity about her role as Diana in "Spencer" I looked up to see which Kristen Stewart movies I might have missed. This is one, she has a rather small but very important role as Billy's sister.

Ang Lee is a master director, in this fictional story which looks like it could have been real he brings out many nuances and genuinely funny parts in almost every scene. The recreation of fighting in Iraq looks too real, it is very hard-hitting drama.

Billy comes home as a hero for fighting off several enemy after his sergeant was wounded. Unfortunately, as happens in battle, the sergeant did not survive. He and his Company B men are invited to attend a professional football game in Dallas, they are put into the halftime show. The story illustrates the great divide between the soldiers themselves and the people back home who have no idea what it is all about.

Excellent movie, my wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library.

Style trumps substance in Billy Lynn

[makleen2 · 6/10 · 20 September 2017]

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is a clean, colorful, and vibrant movie about the disconnect between war and the home front, fantasy and reality, but trips up in the execution. Its much-praised frame rate of 120 frames per second (twice the previous record) isn't really justified by the film's simplistic plot, and in some ways it looked like a film school project. Its stereotypical portrayal of soldiers undermines what it gets right about the relationship between soldiers and civilians. Overall, it's entertaining enough to watch but not something you'll come back to again and again.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is based on a novel of the same name by Ben Fountain, a 58-year-old writer from North Carolina. I haven't read the book, so I can't comment about it in relation to the film. While I was watching the movie, however, I couldn't shake the suspicion that this story wasn't written by either a former soldier or someone who served in the Iraq War.

"This is what a Hollywood screenwriter thinks soldiers sound like," I thought as I listened to the dialogue. Turns out my suspicions were correct, which explains why the soldiers were so painfully stereotypical. A writer often falls back on stereotypes or popular tropes when not informed by personal experience.

The film's portrayal of the disconnect between soldiers and civilians, however, is very insightful. It's hard to describe the oddity of being involved in something like the military, especially if you have been deployed in a war zone. Everyone has an opinion about it, even though they have no direct knowledge or experience. Even comments from someone who supports the troops and the war effort can seem awkward and embarrassing, and this film captures that beautifully.

Throughout the film, civilians approach members of "Bravo Squad" to ask questions or make comments, and the encounters inevitably turn painful as it's revealed the civilians are clueless about the soldiers' motivations and experiences. It becomes clear the pageantry and praise for the soldiers is more about the civilians' own feelings than it is honoring the soldiers' bravery under fire.

Norm Oglesby (Steve Martin) comes closest to an antagonist in Billy Lynn. Oglesby is the fictional owner of the Dallas Cowboys who agrees to finance a movie about Bravo Squad's experiences in Iraq. What he offers to option the movie, however, is much less than what the squad expected to receive. After a brief argument, Billy Lynn and SGT David Dime (Garrett Hedlund) turn down his offer.

Billy then has to decide whether to leave with his sister and go AWOL, or return with his squad, who will inevitably be redeployed to Iraq. He decides to stay with his squad. Then, in a twist ending, it's implied he was shot and killed in Iraq, and the whole movie had been a fantasy in his dying mind of what it would be like to go home a hero (kinda shitty, actually).

Overall, the technical aspects of Billy Lynn were not as much an asset as advertised. While filming at 120 frames per second offers finer quality and detail, and I appreciated the movie's bright, vibrant colors, it's difficult to justify its high frame rate. Only a handful of theaters on earth are capable of showing it at its highest quality.

Apparently in order to film at this frame rate, the director couldn't afford to do multiple takes. Sacrificing "getting a scene right" in order to film at a frame rate higher than most theaters can even project doesn't make sense.

In one flashback, Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) and his sister, Kathryn (Kristen Stewart), catch up at home. The scene is shot in over-the-shoulder perspective. When Billy speaks, the camera focuses on him and blurs out Kathryn. When Kathryn speaks, the camera focuses on her and blurs out Billy. It goes back and forth for the whole dialog. Simplistic scenes like that, combined with settling for the first or second take, makes Billy Lynn look like a student film.

Despite these deficiencies, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk was visually impressive and featured decent performances by veteran actors Vin Diesel and Chris Tucker. Arturo Castro, who got his start in short films and plays SPC "Mango" Montoya, was a bright spot among an otherwise lackluster cast. Overall, Billy Lynn is worth seeing, but not on par with Iraq War films like Green Zone (2010) and American Sniper (2014).

A real head scratcher.

[cineconnoisseur · 5/10 · 14 December 2017]

To summarize, I feel like that Randy Jackson's words from the Geico commercial sum it up best: "yo check it out dawg, that was just alright for me. I mean you got the walk, you got the stance, but I wasn't feeling this. You gotta come a little harder, you gotta figure it out. Ehhhhhh I don't know."

The visual effects in the movie were much more amazing than the movie itself, especially during the half-time show. Even after the movie's concluded I find myself sitting here, wondering and thinking just what the movie was supposed to accomplish and did it do it? Certain aspects of the movie are touching and heart-felt, while a majority fail to stick the landing they were going for. The ending fight scene was ridiculous and if a gun was fired inside a building in a crowded stadium, someone would've gone to jail for it, no matter their rank. I understand the need to want to create drama, but let's color in the lines and not over-exaggerate (i.e. the soldiers act more like a group of frat boys than they do actual soldiers). I'll circle back to the cinematography - it was truly top notch and the war scenes were alluring, but it seems like there's a ton of build-up to the half-time show and while thats visually the best part of the movie, it just seems like there was no substance otherwise.

This movie is far more than anti-war.

[wanglivalley · 10/10 · 12 November 2016]

Many people said it is an anti-war movie,I don't think so. This movie is far more than anti-war.Because it is not a rich story ,but a rich truth and an emotion. It doesn't want to give you an opinion about what war is, but show you an emotion about a young man and a war. A so-called hero came back from Iraq, how is his life?

In the real world, the truth and emotion are complicated. So it is hard to say what its theme is. Maybe the theme is to doubt our fake society Maybe the theme is to show the hero's confused life. However, they are parts of this movie. It is more like a section of Billy's life. He has family,battle companion, stranger and girlfriends. Sometimes he is distracted at his important moment,sometims all in front of him remind him of war. He sees and thinks.He might find that life is difficult to choose,finally he go back to the place where he belongs.

If you can feel you are Billy Lynn, you can feel how ridiculous this society is.Nobody understands you,people see what they want to see.the sad thing is, you can change nothing but follow the direction of fate.

If you don't have sensory substitution,this movie is boring.

From the beginning of Billy's halftime show， I can't help crying. I even can't detail the reasons of my tears. The emotion is so strong, so complicate and so advanced. I feel so sad about Billy's life.

I think it is a good movie, not very fun, but revolutionary.

Ang Lee's Presentation Before World Premiere Screening

[lleiou · 7/10 · 16 October 2016]

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Ang Lee: "As a New Yorker it is always a great honor to come here, and thank you. I know this is not easy to put out the new technology - it is not just a new technology, a new habit in watching movies - the way you engage in it, I hope it is different. It is a big effort to convert the theater, so we can project in the way I was shooting this. Right after the making of the movie Life of Pi , which I have a different reason in shooting digital and 3D, one answer I found ... I discover to have more questions: this is just closer to what I see and my eye was cramming for more details, more clarity, more lights, more performance , more ways of studying human faces, more drama, so I am in the curve of searching for the new answers in what digital film can offer us and two years ago Tom Rothman came to me with this wonderful book, it is a coming of age story, of a young solider , he did something heroic, and been brought back to celebrated it in a climax in a Dellas thanksgiving football halftime show. I thought to my self half time into movie if I could put the half time show and over the top half time show and where the soldiers are at the center of it with the sensation of the battle scene that he actually fire fight the experience, it will be quit a movie so I decide to go this terrifying journey, it's a long journey cuz most of the time I feel like I don't know how to make movies, that's very insecure. I am a honest person, so I let all my crew know that you are not good enough for the job and I constantly reminded them and they are okay with that, it's been a very brave, and heartfelt brilliant cast and crew to work with, the experience has been precious, cuz with that clarity what comes along is the freshest of devotion to the new dream we are creating.

I often asked myself can you dream with clarity, no. But reality is the first thing we exam, so we can do... this is kind of experimental movie, I hope you keep an open mind. Now I just survived the first show ever, I know where I am survived, I was there wrecking(?), I've done a lot of premieres, but nothing like this, cuz I am launching a new medium (applause), so you are the second group of the first one ever to see this image at 120 frames per second both eyes, at 4K which is eight times more the resolution than the 2K regular movie in 3D and 28 foot-lamberts which is about 8 or 9 times more brightness than the regular 3D movie you see, I wanna thank Real D and Christie, those two projectors, the server company who holds 40 times the data of the regular movie and the studio who allows us really experiment and everybody who works with me cast and crew alike which is go for and see what happened. It is a humbling experiment, let's wait and see what happen with the movie I hope you enjoy it, that's an understate, I hope you open your mind to the new way we can make movies, thank you!"

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World Premiere, NYFF 54 Special Event, New York, New York. <> Oct 14, 2016.

not quite

[austin0731 · 5/10 · 22 November 2016]

In terms of visuals Billy Lynn's was very impressive, however I would ask, is this the right genre of film to showcase such technical cinematography? Obviously such stunning shots could only be a plus to the film but for a film that is really more about one's internal struggles rather than exterior conflicts I do find it quite an odd decision to make this film in such a way. I did go in expecting an all out war movie since I have heard of all of these things that Ang Lee is doing in this film, in terms of visuals. Which did leave be surprised but also disappointed at how few those scenes are. Essentially this film takes place within a time span of one day and all takes place at this football game? What?

Obviously there were flashback scenes and all but there were quite few and every time we jump back to the present time it just leaves be craving for the next flashback scene. I can understand this message that the film was trying to send about being considered a 'war hero', about all the costs and sacrifices that soldiers are making each day and the way they are treated. How decorated war heroes are just a sort of title, people will show you and tell you how much they appreciate your services and what not but when it comes to actually giving anything we never seem to be so eager to. It is a film that showcases this idea of being crowned a 'hero' and what it really means, and sure that was quite an interesting theme to look at.

But perhaps to make this whole story more impactful instead of having flashbacks tell us the story overseas we get a whole first half of the film showing it to us, before all of the victory tour stuff. It just makes it very hard for audiences to understand the implications and the sacrifices that they have made if this sort of flashback storytelling is used. It is often hard to make a good war movie that isn't based on a true story, this is likely because when audiences know that it is fictitious the stakes wouldn't be so high, and it won't really touch people's hearts so to speak. So both these elements combine to create the war's lack of importance which is a very bad thing to have happen.

In conclusion, I liked what they were trying to say, the underlying idea and theme of the film came indefinitely of a good place. However poor storytelling and lack of story in general really made this film suffer quite a bit.

I really hated this movie. It's the definition of disrespectful as well as being a poorly paced and poorly written mess.

[joechar4444 · 18 November 2016]

I really did hate this movie.

It's the definition of disrespectful as well as being a poorly paced and poorly written mess. It portrays military personnel as limited thinking, trapped victims at best and complete tools at worst. There is no subtlety to its anti Iraq War stance. Every single character on screen that's not the Billy Lynn or Vin Diesel's Shroom is an annoying douchebag. That's not an exaggeration. From his fellow troops to ALL the supporting characters, they are ALL aggravating and irritating. This isn't just an awkward sledge hammer anti Iraq War movie but it's an unintentionally anti humanity movie. I wanted to punch nearly every character in the face and that includes Kristen Stewart's sister character, Chris Tucker's agent character and Steve Martin's Jerry Jones character. What a waste of a great cast.

Was there even a budget for this crap? It's no wonder the NFL nor the military itself would give them any support when making this thing. The fake Dallas Cowboys football team that was depicted was laughably bad.

I literally thought of walking out on this thing multiple times as the storytelling jump cut through time and dragged at every turn. Somehow, I managed to stay in my seat until he made his decision whether he would go with his sister or stay with his military brothers. Even before that scene was over I was heading to the exit. I just couldn't take any more of the nonsense. The unintentional disrespect to the military, the three hour instant love story with a cheerleader, the stage crew attacking "heroes" because they wouldn't leave the stage fast enough then assaulting them later, the "everyone in Texas is a sleazeball tycoon" stereotype, etc.

Ang Lee should be ashamed of himself for making a movie this bad.

Thought provoking and enjoyable but falls well short of being a great film

[MattyGibbs · 7/10 · 24 October 2017]

A young soldier returns after the Iraq war lauded as a hero. But is he?

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is not the stereotypical war film but more a study of how war affects everyone at home and on the battlefield. In particular how the realities of war are far different to what those not there are told.

This is fairly slow moving and probably lacks a real star performance to carry it through. Saying that I thought Joe Alwyn ( looking a lot like a young Matt Damon)did a pretty good job in the lead role. It's told in flashbacks which work pretty well.

This is an intelligent war film but won't appeal to the shoot em up brigade. It raises plenty of questions about crass the war is perceived and portrayed in America.

This is an enjoyable film with lots of messages but it doesn't quite hit the mark enough to be labelled a great film.

feeling fake

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 24 November 2017]

The war in Iraq is not going well and support for the war is fading. Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) is a 19 year old soldier from Texas. He is caught on camera in a heroic but failed attempt to save his sergeant Shroom Breem (Vin Diesel). He and his squad are brought back to America to do a hero's tour. Promoter Albert (Chris Tucker) is trying to sell their story for a Hollywood movie. Norm Oglesby (Steve Martin) is the war-supporting Dallas football team owner. He has invited the boys to join the patriotic halftime show. Billy falls for cheerleader Faison Zorn (Makenzie Leigh). In flashbacks, he spends time with his family and his older sister Kathryn (Kristen Stewart). The family is in medical debt after she suffered severe injuries. Her fiancée abandoned her due to her disfigurement which led to Billy vandalizing his car. In order to escape prosecution, he joined the Army. Anti-war Kathryn is guilt-ridden and desperate for Billy to leave the fighting.

I can see compelling aspects of Flags of Our Fathers within this Ang Lee movie. First of all, casting newcomer Joe Alwyn has its appeal and accompanying pitfalls. He has that ah-schucks All-American heroism but his lack of star power makes him blend in with the rest of the squad. Lee fails to alleviate that by filming him by himself. He only stands out when he first gets together with his sister Kathryn. I really like their chemistry. The risk caused some problem but ends up with a good payoff. It could have been handled better.

The other casting problem is Steve Martin. He doesn't fit this character. It's very fake and the fake Dallas Cowboys do not help. The fakeness devalues the serious message of the movie. They even have the fake Destiny's Child. It infects other aspects of the surrounding story. The clash with the roadies and the halftime PTSD could have been more visceral but everything is off. It's not quite real.

There is also Lee's use of high frame rate. It doesn't look bad on DVD but I understand some complained about the theatrical viewing. There may be a powerful journey in the source material but the movie is off and it only achieves greatness in short little bursts. This is a misstep by award winning Lee.

Curious, but deeply flawed

[Smokey_T · 6/10 · 20 February 2017]

I did not watch this film with preconceptions, and I watched it on a perfectly normal television. So any particular technological advances meant very little me.

It's story was so-so. I never got bored, but then I wasn't expecting an action film. The acting fine. I don't really see how someone can give this a 1/10 or call it the worst this year, or even this month. There could have been more to it, but it almost felt like a biopic to me, and erring on the side of conservatism. The events were not huge, escalated, Brian Lynn did not kill Osama Bin Laden, there was no sex scene with a cheerleader...

The film appeared very 'dry' visually, the clarity I understand now in some part due to Lee's filming at a high frame rate, and resolution. Throughout I drew comparison's to the works of Brian De Palma. Characters would often stand front on to the camera, talking to the camera as if it were the subject in their conversation, and I wonder if this was chosen to foreground the detail, or the 3D in which it was presented in many cinemas, or make the whole thing more 'real' for us the viewers. It felt unreal to me, like those films where they film in a first person. 3D is still very much a gimmick, one that distracts from all but the spectacle in films, weakening dramas when shown in 3D, and everything when presented in 2D. If it's to really go beyond that it needs to be something you either show in 3D, or not at all.

A Misfire!

[namashi_1 · 4/10 · 13 August 2017]

Two Time Academy-Award Winner for Best Director, Ang Lee is back with 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk'. And heartbreakingly, this is the weakest film by the prolific director to date. Despite sincere efforts, this War-Drama is a misfire!

'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' Synopsis: 19-year-old Billy Lynn is brought home for a victory tour after a harrowing Iraq battle. Through flashbacks the film shows what really happened to his squad - contrasting the realities of war with America's perceptions.

The biggest problem with 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' is its unappealing Writing. Jean-Christophe Castelli's Screenplay, which is based on the novel by the same name by Ben Fountain, trembles. Billy Lynn's struggle in the war zone & the after effects once he returns home, are barely engaging. The Writing doesn't hold you or move, unfortunately!

Ang Lee isn't in form this time around. His Direction leaves a lot to be desired. Cinematography & Editing are fine. Art & Costume Design are classy.

Performance-Wise: Joe Alwyn as Billy Lynn, is the sole saving grace. He delivers an excellent performance from start to end. He has the potential to go places, given the right scripts. Kristen Stewart as Billy's older sister, tries to make the most out of her limited role. Chris Tucker is okay, while Steve Martin is wasted. And Vin Diesel is as usual.

On the whole, 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' is a poor show.

'The bullet's already been fired'

[gradyharp · 10/10 · 28 February 2017]

Ben Johnson's novel has been exceptionally well adapted for the screen by Jean- Christophe Castelli and directed with the expected sensitivity of Ang Lee. It is a kick in the gut for those who see it – an anti-war statement placed in front of us as the never- ending wars in the Middle East continue to fester and destroy lives on all sides of the war zone and beyond. But it is also a biting statement about the time in which we live, a time when entertainment and gross spending of money is directed toward the insatiable appetite for big shows and stars and shallow moments of pleasure that appear to obsess us. The manner in which returning soldiers face 'instant glory' is overshadowed by the inherent bully-ism by a public that does not understand the cancer of war and how it metastasizes throughout our troubled planet.

The film is told from the point of view of 19-year-old private Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) who, along with his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad (Garrett Hedlund, Arturo Castro, Mason Lee, Astro, Beau Knapp, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Barney Harris and Vin Diesel) becomes a hero after a harrowing Iraq battle and is brought home temporarily for a victory tour. Through flashbacks, culminating at the spectacular halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day football game in Dallas, Texas, the film reveals what really happened to the squad - contrasting the realities of the war with America's perceptions. Billy's family's response to his Silver Star heroism is conflicted with Billy's damaged sister Kathryn (Kristen Stewart) who pleads with Billy not to return for another tour in Iraq. Billy finds a possible entry to fame through a film about Bravo by Albert (Chris Tucker), thwarted by the wealthy insensitive would-be backer Norm (Steve Martin), an introduction to love by one of the Dallas cheerleaders Faison (Makenzie Leigh), and in the end, though disenchanted with America's reaction to what soldiers suffer in war zones, Billy makes the 'long halftime walk' back to his beloved buddies of Bravo as they prepare to return to duty.

The film seems all glitter on the surface until the inserted flashbacks of the realities of war in Iraq – a factor that makes the film even more poignant as an anti-war statement. This is a strong film that will move sensitive viewers – hopefully to action.

Another masterpiece of Ang Lee

[Bizuno · 7/10 · 5 June 2017]

Another Ang Lee's film. Just like every of his film, «Billy Lynn's long halftime walk» is such a brilliant picture.

It touched me a lot when Shroom died, and it was also at that moment I actually realised how dangerous it could be in the war. When the danger is everywhere, the only thing that we can do is trying our best not to be killed by the enemy.

In this film, we can also notice that the Americans don't really understand what they do. Everyone has his own point of view of their identity. For some people, they are the hero of America; for the film producer, they are just "idea" or "story"; and for the dancers in the scene of Beyoncé, they are noting.

By the way, the visual effect is fantastic. Wish that I could have seen it in the cinema. Excellent job.

An Oscar Hopefull is really a high priced Lifetime Movie.

[Ben_Cap · 5/10 · 19 November 2016]

I don't think I have ever been as torn about a bad movie as I am with Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. We have an incredibly accomplished director in Ang Lee who has found these stories in Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi and given them exactly what they needed and brought them to life. I expected something similar in this movie but I can't say that Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Life even comes close to those movies. There are strong moments and a few subtle things that I really enjoyed but they seem to be surrounded by things I disliked.

The story is about the Bravo Company squad who fought in Iraqi war and after a severe firefight return to America for a press tour. The tour does not stop there though, they are scheduled to return to Iraq after the game and some in the Company are handling the aftermath better than other. The viewer follows Billy Lynn, one of the soldiers in the company and his specific view of the post war experience. The narrative is split into three different time periods. First is the day leading up to the company participating in the halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day football game halftime show. The second is Billy going home to be with his family in the days leading up to the game and the final period are the events that took place in Iraq that led to the current events.

Overall the performances are fairly underwhelming. There is something being said for casting the roles of the military members should be left to relative unknowns to make them feel grounded and add to the reality of the characters, but they fall short for the most part. I would say Kristen Stewart would be the most surprisingly strong performance but Arturo Castro who plays one of Billy Lynns Company mates "Mango" Montoya was the high point as far as I am concerned. I had never seen him before this and he brought a truth to the movie that I believe it was desperately searching for. As mentioned before Kristen Stewart is probably the best performance here and it is too bad because she does not get much time on screen.

I think that the best thing this movie did was handle the PTSD as the real horror of war and not trying to glorify the combat. As I start to get further away from that idea the rest of the movie seems almost like a low budget movie. The parts in Iraq feel incredibly low budget, and when it came to the actual military scenes they felt quite unreal. Some scenes move far too quickly while others seem to last forever, and while it is only an hour and 50 minutes it feels much longer than that.

There are moments in here that I really enjoyed but overall I don't think its enough to bring my overall opinion of this movie up past a 5 out of 10. There were little things that the soldiers did at the football game that I can see real soldiers doing, but then it seems like moments later we are brought right out of that moment to some thing that you know would never happen. Really the whole movie feels like it is two thirds finished. It was a good attempt and a decent story but really Billy Lynn should have just stayed home for Thanksgiving.

Effective and insightful anti war movie

[phd_travel · 10/10 · 11 November 2016]

This is a very effective anti war movie. And it achieves a lot with a pretty low body count. It looks at a young soldier who after performing a heroic action caught on camera is involved in a promotional tour. It's subtle but completely clear in it's message.

Through flashbacks there are many effective contrasts here between what went on in Iraq in attacks and the public relations football match slash Destiny's Child concert. Also showing the troops rounding up men in their home with their families watching.

It is very insightful how he was about to give up the soldier life for this cheerleader he hooked up with only to find she only was interested in him as a hero.

Another great realism shown is how the slimy developer magnate played by Steve Martin wants to short change them for rights to a film about the soldiers.

Liked how they are so unappreciated by the guys back home who try to pick fights with them The most touching parts are with his sister played by Kristen Stewart who is the only one who really cares for him and tries to do something about it. There is no sentimentality wasted in the movie so their final scene is more meaningful for that. Kristen acts convincingly as the injured sister. Subtle and thoroughly convincing.

Joe Alwyn as the title character is a good choice. He isn't too good looking so it's realistic. And he doesn't overact either. Just the right amount of emotion.

This movie makes one think about it after it's over. Best Ang Lee movie for a while.

An original and painfully satirical study of post-traumatic stress disorder

[CineMuseFilms · 7/10 · 29 November 2016]

It is frustrating when a film has all the ingredients to be brilliant but ends up just a good movie. The story of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016) is an original and painfully satirical study of post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is also a film limited by all-too-obvious visual messages and clichéd one-liners that reduce a possible artwork to an emotionally tame and uneven film.

The story unfolds over a single day in America with flashbacks to a live combat incident in Iraq. A news clip goes viral when young army specialist Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) is filmed trying to save the life of his sergeant. His Bravo squad are celebrated as heroes and given a two-week promotional tour across America to boost dwindling support for the war. The tour highlight is an appearance in a glitzy halftime show at a Dallas Cowboys game. They are ushered around like a troupe of performing monkeys with little regard for what they have been through or how glaring theatrics might affect soldiers coming straight out of battle. Meanwhile, their tour guide is trying to stitch up a film deal with the tightwad team owner (played by Steve Martin) as virgin Billy falls for a cheerleader (Mackenzie Leigh) who loves war heroes.

The storyline bears little resemblance to the typical war genre film, but this one is not about guns, bombs and bodies. Filmed in ultra-high definition with extensive shallow depth of field, Billy and the squad are often in pin-sharp focus against soft backgrounds, a technique that keeps them in a separate plane of existence to the crassly insensitive stage onto which they have been thrust. The surreal stadium scenes are a spectacular but clichéd message about commodity wars for a public wanting to 'make America great again'. It is hard not to empathise with Billy or feel his disorientation as he watches prancing cheerleaders and hears musical fireworks exploding all around him while he struggles with flashbacks of hand-to-hand combat in the midst of a mortar firestorm.

There is much to commend in this film. Young Joe Alwyn plays a complex role with nuance beyond his experience. The cinematography is vivid (almost to the point of distraction), and the pace and casting is strong (although comic Steve Martin seems out of place). A lighter directorial hand may have produced a more naturally flowing story without the corny melodrama and trite one-liners like "that day no longer belongs to you…its America's story now" or "we're a nation of children who fight in other countries to grow up". But you will long remember that stadium extravaganza as an echo-chamber for the horrors of PTSD. For that alone, this film is worth seeing.

Not anywhere near reality

[frankduval-85929 · 2/10 · 12 February 2017]

Not the absolute worst Iraq movie that I've ever seen, but close to it. It in NO WAY reflects reality and is a dig at the war and soldiers in general. If you were "over there" you'd probably chuckle at the stupid characterizations that most civilians imagine a tour of Iraq was like. Some vets might get mad, but just remember that it's Hollywood. My only complaint is that they use soldiers to protest the war, when in fact- most of us are proud of our service there. I did three tours of combat duty in Iraq (Ramadi, TQ, and Q-West) and none of them are anywhere near this movie's portrayal. If you want to hear about the REAL war, ask a vet- some of us wouldn't mind answering questions.