gbrady-82042 As a non American i usually find it hard to relate to USA anti-war films. They are usually filled with big macho guys, overly nationalistic and lacking genuine fear and failings.This is a great film. What a great performance from the leading man (Joe Alwyn) - could feel his sincerity right through every moment. Supported well by Steve Martin playing an unlikeable Texan business owner and also Kristen Stewart as the devoted sister trying to stop her brother returning to the battlefield. Vin Deisel did play the macho part who without any common sense throwing himself solely into the line of fire and paying the price...not sure if that would have happened too often in reality ?Anyway regardless of that this film showcases some great acting... I also loved the part where they are being parading at half time at the football stadium with Destiny's Child...the flashbacks worked well.The love interest was also played well by Makenzie Leigh another unknown to me but one to watch in the future.Id recommend this movie...hope there is a part 2 as the story appears only half finished...

kosmasp 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?

Screen_Blitz 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.

Brian A. Schaaf First, the photography in this, having the camera bounce back and forth from 3d person to first person views, really made the story hard to watch as it kept changing perspectives in the worst times, too frequently, and in a way that made everyone looking at the camera (even GREAT actors like Steve Martin) look like they were really straining to get through the script.So, the script - the idea of the soldiers touring the nation on a public affairs trips to get support for the overseas war, isn't a bad idea. BUT this focused way too much on the soldiers' trying to SELL their story to Hollywood and others, so they can make a movie based on them and each of the soldiers get money.This movie is supposed to be about the internal struggles going on with Billy, but the script really went far off base from that and just has you all over the place, mostly focusing on the soldiers trying to make money off of their military service, the troops' sergeant that is really REALLY over-acting in trying to act like their sergeant and negotiator for more money for them all, and only a little bit focusing on Billy and his mental struggles.The struggles are highlighted a LITTLE, very fragmented throughout the movie, with bouncing us between present day on their publicity tour and to the past with fragments of his deployment and coming home with a family that is worried about him and a sister, played by an actress that STILL cannot seem to every find an ounce of emotion to project, trying to convince him to go AWOL, just to get some Mental Health help. But again - the movie is MORE about these guys making money off of their story sold to the movies...A 4 rating was generous, I think, and only because I recognize the ATTEMPT to tell a story about one of our troops coming home and facing internal struggle - but really, if I wanted to rate the movie based on what it was supposed to be about - it would be a big zero. POORLY done, nightmare photography skills, really really bad script and acting and fragmented script bouncing between many segments of the story with a WAY OVER THE TOP, unreal cheesy and very unrealistic ending that would made every one of us Veterans looking at it and all saying, "Oh please....!" and being disgusted by the entire time just wasted watching this.