Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016)
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A soldier's act of courage in Iraq transforms him into a media celebrity, leading to a surreal experience during a high-profile football halftime show.
The story
After a courageous act in Iraq earns him celebrity status, 19-year-old US Army specialist Billy Lynn and his unit, 'Bravo Squad,' embark on a high-profile publicity tour. The tour culminates at the halftime show of a Dallas Cowboys home game. While the squad is greeted by fans and pursued by a film producer seeking a deal, Billy is haunted by memories of the war. During the intense spectacle of the halftime show, Billy is caught between the present-day glamour and the traumatic reality of his past, while his unit faces the pressures of sudden fame and the looming reality of redeployment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Billy Lynn, a 19-year-old US Army specialist from Texas, is caught on camera dragging mortally wounded Sergeant Virgil "Shroom" Breem to safety during an intense firefight in Iraq in 2004. This act of courage earns him the Silver Star and elevates his unit, 'Bravo Squad,' to celebrity status. They return to the U.S. for Shroom's funeral and embark on a publicity tour, culminating at the halftime show of a Dallas Cowboys home game. Accompanied by a PR representative and a film producer, the squad is greeted by grateful fans. During a press conference, Billy flirts with a Cowboys cheerleader, Faison. As the game begins, Billy is haunted by flashbacks of the battle where he saved Shroom. He receives a call from a psychiatrist trying to secure his honorable discharge to prevent his redeployment. During the halftime show, the loud music and pyrotechnics traumatize a squad member, Sykes, who reacts violently. Billy experiences a vivid flashback to the school where they were pinned down, where he killed an insurgent in self-defense before Shroom bled to death. He is roused from the flashback to find the halftime show has ended, and he has been frozen in place. After being ushered off stage, Billy meets with the Cowboys' owner, who offers the squad a meager sum for their story; Dime rebuffs it, and Billy rejects an offer that their story belongs to the people. Billy briefly reunites with Faison, but she rejects his offer to run away with her. Later, the squad is attacked by security, triggering Billy's PTSD. His sister Kathryn arrives to confirm his discharge, but Billy chooses to redeploy with his squad out of a sense of belonging. Finally, in the limo, Billy hallucinates a conversation with Shroom, telling him 'I love you' before returning to reality where his squad members respond in kind.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom; China
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ang Lee
- Writers
- Jean-Christophe Castelli · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Joe Alwyn · Billy Lynn; Garrett Hedlund · David Dime, Bravo Squad's Staff Sgt.; Kristen Stewart · Kathryn Lynn, Billy's older sister; Vin Diesel · "Shroom", Bravo Squad, Virgil Jedidiah Breen; Steve Martin · Norm Oglesby; Chris Tucker · Albert Brown; Makenzie Leigh · Faison Zorn, Dallas cheerleader; Brian "Astro" Bradley · Lodis, Bravo Squad
- Genres
- war drama
- Themes
- PTSD; Celebrity culture; War trauma; Belonging
- Tone and mood
- Immersive; Sentimental; Satiric; Hyperreal
- Premise and plot tags
- War Drama; Based on a novel; High Frame Rate; 3D
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2012 novel of the same name by Ben Fountain
- Content notes
- PTSD
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office bomb. It was criticized for its technical innovations, which some felt were distracting, and for a story that failed to resonate with audiences.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 44% · review count: 161; Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 42
- Production trivia
- It was the first-ever feature film using an extra-high frame rate of 120 frames per second.; Principal photography began in Georgia.; Only five theaters globally were equipped to show it at its highest resolution and maximum frame rate.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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