BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK: A Visual Misfire We Didn’t See Coming

In what promised to be a harrowing and powerful vision of Ben Fountain‘s best-selling novel, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk has proven to be a rare misstep.

Critically acclaimed and Oscar-winning director, Ang Lee, seems to have essentially used the story for his latest project as a way to revolutionise how we experience cinema. Not only is this an overly-ambitious attempt at experimenting with graphic technology, but the ill-fitting intent to impress with visuals appears to make the true heart of the story fall flat.

The story follows 19-year-old Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn), a young soldier returning from a heroic tour in Iraq, where media attention has turned him into a national celebrity in his home country. Along with his squadron – The Bravo Squad – he’s being pushed around the country on a promotional victory tour, which is set to conclude during the halftime show of a Thanksgiving football game.

However, Lynn is struggling to acclimatise, and a series of flashbacks showcase the difficult journey that’s led him to this day. It’s set in 2004, seven months before the group split, and before the country realised that the War on Terror would define the next decade of its life.

When Technology Buries Emotion

Whilst we have to give a congratulatory nod to the impressive audio and imaging techniques used in Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, it’s a challenge to think beyond it. As well as being released primarily in 3D, the film also utilises an increased frame rate of 120 frames per second, giving it a glossy HD illustration. It’s safe to say that Ang Lee‘s mesmerising visuals in his previously esteemed direction of Life Of Pi doesn’t quite work as effectively with this particular story-line; because what the audience fails to feel is the emotional engagement needed for a narrative of this kind to work.

The cast and the script only make up for this in glimpses, and the film in general does do a pretty good job of contrasting the harsh realities of war with America’s generally distorted perceptions of heroism. In the scenes between Billy and his sister (Kristen Stewart), we are exposed to more of the buried emotion that we craved from the start. This somewhat makes up for the lack of life throughout the rest of the film, but still doesn’t develop enough for us to understand the introspective character study it’s destined to be.

Joe Alwyn has to be commended for the impeccable masking of his natural British accent, and when looking at his acting alone, he does manage to carry the entire film. This, along with the easy camaraderie between the soldiers – led with a gruff, dry humor by standout Garrett Hedlund – makes it a much more gratifying watch.

A Step In The Anti-War Direction

Something that Ang Lee has totally nailed is the individuality of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. Thankfully, he hasn’t pushed it too far into the deep end of the existing pool of war narratives, which in some ways, saves it completely. He hasn’t attempted to portray a rendition of the typical war biopic, and has steered clear of these typical connotations.

Instead, it is centred around a post-war soldier and his comrades, and how they’ve adjusted to life after a distressing experience. In this way, it is a film that gives you a bit of food for thought, and focuses more on the political attitudes of a country that is famous for glorifying their patriotism.

Unlike American Sniper, the after-effects of battle are told in a much more tranquil and modest view, and the flashbacks to war are less intense. Beyond that, however, it is a bit of a trudge. Perhaps this is why American Sniper was the highest-grossing movie of 2014 in the United States, generating a whopping $337 million; whereas Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk only managed to rake in a mere $900,000 in its opening box office week.

It appears that, for the most part, pro-war will always trump anti-war. So in this instance, the attempt to oppose to the glorified nationalistic attitude most Americans have regarding the war, was a bit of a flop.

Halftime Rush

On the other hand, why should we expect Lee to be rational about the war when a lot of us are the complete opposite? A lot of us are both sentimental and cynical in varying ways, and maybe we all just need to better understand the turmoil that’s forced onto soldiers on the front lines – and Lee has certainly done that. His perspective is necessary to an extent, and this is never more evident than during the halftime show scene.

It is a moment where Lee’s mania for detail becomes dark comedy. While the soldiers march dutifully behind Destiny’s Child, we catch glances of pom-poms, marching band caps, rowdy sports fans, and big Texas jocks. At the climax of it all, the camera spins around Billy as the girls sing ‘Soldier’, to which he is understandably paralysed with shock.

Then we see the awe drawn in by obnoxious volumes of fireworks and a spinning-guns frenzy. It is a total car crash of insufferable chaos, mirrored with the nationalistic nonsense of how Lee wants pro-war enthusiasts to be perceived. In the middle of all of this is Billy, and his inner torment of what he has just experienced in a war zone. Never do we feel more sympathetic and anti-war than in this moment.

Final Thoughts

Billy Lynn’s Halftime Walk is a film that never really seems to find its footing; despite high promise of a smarter, sharper, and much sadder film. Although Ang Lee must be credited for his ambition in making this movie a masterpiece for the eyes, one could argue that it would have made a much more startling impression had it just focused on the stripped-back emotions of the characters and their lives.

So, what did you think? Did Ang Lee create something cinematically inspiring, or was Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk a bit of a misfire? Let us know in the comments!

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk was released on the 10th February in the UK. You can view all international upcoming movie release dates here.