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Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk has a bizarre title but you instantly get what it’s about when the trailer begins.
It tells the tale of 19-year-old private Billy Lynn (newcomer Joe Alwyn) who, along with his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad, 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, the film reveals what really happened to the squad – contrasting the realities of the war with America’s perceptions.
Directed by Ang Lee (Life of Pi), from a script by Jean-Christophe Castelli, based on the novel by Ben Fountain, the film also stars Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel, Ben Platt, Tim Blake Nelson and – yes, Steve Martin in a non-comedy role, although the same could be said for Father of the Bride Part II.
Ang Lee has reportedly used new technology, shooting at an ultra-high frame rate for the first time in film history, to create an immersive digital experience helping him dramatize war in a way never seen before.
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is released in the UK on November 11th.
Check out the trailer below and click on the poster for the full-size image.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.