Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

Based on the novel by Ben Fountain, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is the story of a soldier who is taking part of a halftime show with his platoon during a football game as he deals with his time in Iraq in 2004. Directed by Ang Lee and screenplay by Jean-Christophe Castelli, the film is a look into a 19-year old soldier coping with loss and post-traumatic disorder as well as the demands he is given for being a hero. Starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Vin Diesel, Garrett Hedlund, Makenzie Leigh, Steve Martin, and introducing Joe Alwyn as Billy Lynn. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is a messy and overwrought film from Ang Lee.

The film follows a young private in Billy Lynn who is finishing up a two-week heroes tour around the United States as he and his platoon will be participating in the halftime show for a big Thanksgiving football game in Dallas, Texas. During the course of this day where he and his fellow soldiers are appearing at the game and be part of the halftime show with Lynn as the face of the platoon due to his heroism in Iraq. Yet, he is coping with the loss of his platoon sergeant he was trying to save that was captured on video as well as unsure if he wants to return to Iraq with his squad as his sister wants to take him to a hospital to be treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. Jean-Christophe Castelli’s screenplay does explore the sense of trauma that Lynn is enduring as well as the struggle he’s facing as there’s also a movie deal on the line. Unfortunately, there’s so much that is happening in the story that it ends up being a very jumbled mess with a narrative that moves back and forth from Lynn’s time in Iraq as well as what he’s dealing with inside this dome in Dallas.

Much of the film has Lynn looking back at certain events as well as deal with uncertain futures as it relates to a cheerleader named Faison (Makenzie Leigh) that he meets and falls for while thinking about the time he had with his family a few days earlier as his sister Kathryn (Kristen Stewart) implores him to seek medical help. The usage of flashbacks and going back into the present as it play into Lynn’s own emotional anguish ends up being a dramatic crutch that goes overboard. Especially where Lynn would see one thing and think of something back in Iraq as it gets repetitive while the scene where Lynn is at home are told more simply despite some of the heavy-handed politics that Kathryn is spewing as she is the reason Lynn joined the army as a way to not go to jail over destroying her boyfriend’s car. It’s not just the narrative that suffers but also some of the characters with the football team owner Norm Oglesby (Steve Martin) being this embodiment of wanting to sell the idea of American patriotism and urge Americans to support the War of Iraq as he’s just a caricature.

Ang Lee’s direction does have some nice moments visually in some of the scenes set in Iraq that is shot mainly in Morocco while the scenes in Dallas and parts of Texas is shot in Locust Grove, Georgia with the dome shot at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Much of Lee’s direction is straightforward in the close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots where he captures the scope of this dome to emphasize the magnitude of the Thanksgiving football game which is tradition in America as is the big halftime show. The scenes set in Iraq do have bits of style in its approach to some of the gunfights as well as some gorgeous compositions of Lynn conversing with his superior in Sgt. Shroom (Vin Diesel) who is this poetic individual that finds beauty in some of the harshest places in the world. It’s one of the highlights in the film that is unfortunately bogged down by not just a bad script but also some unfortunate visual decisions made by Lee in a film that emphasizes a lot on grand visuals.

The scenes set at the football stadium is where some of the visual aspects of the film become problematic where a small scene of Lynn and his platoon throwing footballs playfully is obviously meant for the 3D format as it’s just a waste of a scene. Another scene in which Lynn meets football players in the locker room looks really bad as it’s as if they added some visual effect background for scenes behind Lynn and a few football players. Then comes the big halftime show where it is meant for this high frame rate technology as it is this grand moment but it feels very bloated along with a few montage shots of flashback scenes as it is truly a lackluster moment. That is followed by some dramatic moments that do become heavy-handed including its ending which is obvious but never brings any surprises. Overall, Lee creates a messy and overblown film about a soldier dealing with loss and horror while being the centerpiece of a lame halftime show.

Cinematographer John Toll does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the way the interior of the dome looks as well as the scenes set in Iraq as it does display the sense of beauty of the location despite the chaos of war. Editor Tim Squyres does good work with the editing as it has some stylistic usages of dissolves and jump-cuts though the montage towards the ending is really one of the most nonsensical and overwrought moments of the film. Production designer Mark Friedberg, with set decorator Elizabeth Keenan plus art directors Kim Jennings, Thomas Minton, Gregory S. Hooper, and Aziz Rafiq, does fantastic work with the interior of some of the rooms in the dome as well as the look of Lynn’s family home. Costume designer Joseph G. Aulisi does nice work with the costumes from the look of the uniforms and camouflage the soldiers wear to the skimpy cheerleader uniforms modeled after the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader clothes.

Hair stylist Rita Troy and makeup artist Jay Wejebe do terrific work with the scars on Kathryn’s face and body to play into her own encounter with chaos as a reminder of why Lynn joined the military. Visual effects supervisor Mark O. Forker does some terrible and wobbly work with some of the film’s visual effects in the scenes at the dome including that one scene of Lynn meeting the football players at the locker room where it just looks bad. Sound designer Eugene Gearty does superb work with the sound in the way some of the gunfire and rockets sound as well as the atmosphere of the dome during the game. The film’s music by Mychael and Jeff Danna is wonderful for is mixture of lush orchestral music along with ambient and country-folk pieces with the latter playing into Lynn’s home in rural Texas.

The casting by Avy Kaufman is pretty good despite the script’s shortcomings in giving the actors some effective performances as it include some notable small roles from Tim Blake Nelson as some contractor talking to the soldiers during a lunch, Dierdre Lovejoy and Bruce McKinnon as Lynn’s parents, Laura Lundy Wheale as Lynn’s older sister Patty, and Ben Platt as a liaison personnel accompanying the troops to events. In the roles as members of Lynn’s platoon, there’s Mason Lee as Theodore Yang, Barney Harris as Kenneth Sykes, Ismael Cruz Cordova as Sgt. Antonio Holliday, Brian Vaughn “Astro” Bradley Jr. as Lodis Beckwith, Arturo Castro as Mango Montoya, and Beau Knapp as the shell-shocked “Crack” Koch who reacts badly to a pyrotechnic as they all do some fine work.

Makenzie Leigh is alright as the cheerleader Faison as a young woman who takes a liking to Lynn though it’s a role that has her just being some love interest without much depth. Steve Martin’s performance as the Dallas football team owner Norm Oglesby has its moments in showing how devious he is but it’s a mixed bag due to the fact that he’s a caricature that is trying to be endearing but wants a big payday out of the story in this idea of patriotism. Chris Tucker’s performance as the platoon’s agent Albert is actually superb for the fact that he is someone that is trying to make sure the guys get paid as well as getting a chance for their story to be told in the right way. Garrett Hedlund is excellent as Staff Sergeant David Dime as a no-nonsense soldier that is making sure the platoon is on point while being very suspicious about Oglesby’s intentions for the film.

Vin Diesel is brilliant as Sgt. Shroom as Lynn’s superior that is kind of a fraternal figure for Lynn and the soldiers as he would also be the source of grief for Lynn. Kristen Stewart is amazing as Lynn’s sister Kathryn who is not happy that her little brother has to join the military because of what happened to her as she is consumed with guilt and later concern for his well-being as she hopes he can stay home and not serve. Finally, there’s Joe Alwyn as the titular character in a performance that can be described as OK where he can do a Texan accent and display the needs to be tough in war but he is hampered by the film’s script in having him be emotional where it’s overdone and he has to do so much to carry the film where he’s not really up to the task.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is a terrible and overblown film from Ang Lee. Despite some superb performances from Vin Diesel, Kristen Stewart, and Garrett Hedlund along with a few nice visuals. It’s a film that wants to be so much as well as display new technological tools for the medium of film where it ends up doing nothing for a story that is just heavy-handed. In the end, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is just a bad film from Ang Lee.

Ang Lee Films: Pushing Hands - The Wedding Banquet - Eat Drink Man Woman - Sense & Sensibility (1995 film) - The Ice Storm - Ride with the Devil - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Hire: Chosen - Hulk - Brokeback Mountain - Lust, Caution - Taking Woodstock - Life of Pi

The Auteurs #19: Ang Lee

© thevoid99 2017

Inside Llewyn Davis

Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis is the story in the week of a life of a struggling folk singer who is talented but also his own worst enemy as he deals with his own failures as well as his lack of success. The film is an exploration into the Greenwich folk music scene of the early 1960s where one man deals with his own gift and his faults as a person as the character is played by Oscar Isaac. Also starring Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, and John Goodman. Inside Llewyn Davis is an extraordinary film from the Coen Brothers.

The film is essentially about a man who is undoubtedly talented but is a wandering fuck-up who manages to make a mess out of himself and the people he’s with. Notably as he is this musician who hasn’t been successful while still grieving over the death of his singing partner as he’s trying to make whatever money he can get and catch a break. Yet, Llewyn Davis is practically his own worst enemy as he is quite critical of others in the Greenwich folk music scene that is happening while he also learns that one of his fellow musicians in Jean (Carey Mulligan) is pregnant as he might be the father. It’s a film that takes place in the span of a week where it’s essentially a character study about this man trying to find his place in the world only to face all sorts of tribulation.

The film’s screenplay by the Coen Brothers takes it time to showcase the journey that Llewyn Davis takes in the span of an entire week where the first act is about Davis’ struggle in Greenwich where he crashes in various places while dealing with Jean’s news as her husband Jim (Justin Timberlake) asks him to do a session for a song Jim has made. While Llewyn has some respect for Jim, there is some jealousy over the fact that Jim is successful despite the fact that he doesn’t have Llewyn’s gifts as a real artist. After meeting another folk musician that Jim and Jean had befriend in Troy (Stark Sands), the film would have this second act of Llewyn traveling to Chicago with a stray cat he had found. The cat that Llewyn encounters is a symbol of what Llewyn could do if he doesn’t screw up yet there’s a side of him that is definitely full of fear where Llewyn isn’t sure if he can take care of a cat let alone a child since Jean could be carrying his child.

The film’s second act also has Llewyn encountering a strange music impresario named Roland Turner (John Goodman) and his valet Johnny Five (Garrett Hedlund) who accompany him to Chicago for this audition with a renowned manager named Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham). The trip itself would be strange where it would add to Llewyn’s own doubts about himself where he would eventually arrive into Chicago with a lot of emotional baggage that he’s gained in the past few days. The third act would be about his return to New York City where it would play into the aftermath of his Chicago trip and the uncertainty of what to do next as it plays into Llewyn’s own fallacies as a man and as a musician.

The direction of the Coen Brothers is truly exquisite in not just the way they recreate the 1960s Greenwich folk music scene but also set it around a man who feels more and more out of place with the scene he was once a part of. Much of the direction have the Coens use a lot of wide and medium shots where it’s largely shot in New York City to play into a world that is constantly changing and thriving. There’s some close-ups and very interesting moments that the Coens create such as a scene of Llewyn trying to catch this stray cat called Ulysses whose owners are these music aficionados who often invite him to crash at their place. Yet, the scenes involving the cat as well as the opening sequence of Llewyn playing at this smoky, dimly-lit venue where it showcases where he’s coming from and the emotional baggage that he’s carrying.

The film does also become a road film of sorts in the second act where the images of the car driving on the road are quite entrancing as it showcases that uncertainty of Llewyn as he’s a man with no home or no direction home. The film in some ways is a folk song being played on screen as the Coens also shoot a few scenes in Chicago where it’s cold and Llewyn faces one bad situation after another before his audition. The compositions become much more stark in not just its imagery but also in the way it explores Llewyn’s own faults and the uncertainty he faces. Overall, the Coen Brothers create a very fascinating and engaging film about a man’s faults and the uncertainty that he carries about who he is and what he does.

Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel does brilliant work with the film‘s very lush and colorful cinematography that is filled with exotic colors for some of the film‘s interior scenes that includes the small venue that Llewyn and other folk musicians play at as well as the richness for some of the film‘s daytime and nighttime exterior scenes. Under the Roderick Jaynes alias, the Coen Brothers do excellent work in the editing where they use a lot of stylish cuts from its fade-outs and transitions to play into the drama that unfolds throughout the film. Production designer Jess Gonchor, along with set decorator Susan Bode Tyson and art director Deborah Jensen, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the folk venue that the characters play at to the very thin hallways in the apartments the characters live in.

Costume designer Mary Zophres does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely based on the clothes of the early 60s from the flamboyant look of Roland Turner to the straight-laced clothes that Jean and Jim wear. Visual effects supervisor Alex Lemke does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects created such as the scenes of snow appearing on the nighttime road scenes. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the film‘s sound from the atmosphere of the folk clubs as well as some of the calmer moments of the scenes on the road. Music archivist T-Bone Burnett does an outstanding work in compiling the film’s soundtrack as many of the actors in the film do their own singing as the songs chosen for the film do help tell the story. Notably as the music features contributions from Marcus Mumford and Chris Elridge in many of the songs played which also includes a rarity from Bob Dylan.

The casting by Ellen Chenoweth is great for the ensemble that is created as it includes some notable appearances from Adam Driver as a folk musician who aids Llewyn in a session for Jim, Jeanine Serralles as Llewyn’s older sister Joy, Max Casella as a folk club owner, Ethan Phillips and Robin Barlett as the music aficionados who let Llewyn crash at their place as they’re also Ulysses’ owner, Alex Karpovsky and Helen Hong as party guests that Llewyn meets at the aficionados’ home, Stark Sands as Jim and Jean’s friend Troy who is a good musician that Llewyn is annoyed by, and F. Murray Abraham in an excellent performance as the revered talent manager Bud Grossman who watches Llewyn plays as he decides his fate. Garrett Hedlund is terrific as Turner’s valet Johnny Five as he is very quiet throughout the film but there is something about him that adds to the strangeness of Llewyn’s encounter with Turner.

John Goodman is fantastic as the eccentric and flamboyant music impresario Roland Turner as a man who walks with two canes while musing on all sorts of things as his presence would leave Llewyn even more troubled. Justin Timberlake is amazing as Jim Berkey as this very talented and successful folk musician who is an all-around nice that just wants to help Llewyn out any way he can. Carey Mulligan is brilliant as Jean Berkey as a folk singer who despises Llewyn as she also tries to help while telling him that she’s pregnant with what might be their child which she has a hard time dealing with. Finally, there’s Oscar Isaac in an incredible performance as the titular character who is talented but unable to take his talents forward as he carries a lot of emotional baggage and a cat. It’s a performance that is eerie to watch where there’s aspects about him which are endearing but he’s also a guy that continuously fucks up every chance he has giving Isaac a career-defining performance.

Inside Llewyn Davis is a remarkable film from Joel and Ethan Coen that features a marvelous performance from Oscar Isaac. The film is not just an intriguing look into the failures and faults of a man but also the 1960s folk music scene in which he was a part of and how he feels out of place in that world. Especially where it’s a film that showcases what a struggling musician has to go through to make it in an ever-changing world. In the end, Inside Llewyn Davis is a phenomenal film from the Coen Brothers.

Coen Brothers Films: Blood Simple - Raising Arizona - Miller's Crossing - Barton Fink - The Hudsucker Proxy - Fargo - The Big Lebowski - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - The Man Who Wasn't There - Intolerable Cruelty - The Ladykillers - Paris Je T'aime-Tulieres -To Each His Own Cinema-World Cinema - No Country for Old Men - Burn After Reading - A Serious Man - True Grit - Hail, Caesar! - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Auteurs #9: The Coen Brothers: Part 1 - Part 2

© thevoid99 2013