This Ang Lee drama looked really interesting to me, and it turned out to be a complex, multifaceted film that addresses America’s involvement in the Iraq War on a very personal level — but I also found it to be a lot less interesting than I had hoped. Based on a popular book by Ben Fountain, the film details how a Marine squad is sent from Iraq back to the States after a harrowing battle for a public relations tour, to be hailed as heroes at the prime time Thanksgiving NFL game in Dallas. Then it is back to Iraq — except that young Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) is not so certain he wishes to return.
Ang Lee’s film — which was shot at 120 frames per second, the first feature film to be lensed at this rate — tackles a lot of ground, almost all of it centered on the Iraq War, from various perspectives. The Marines, who hated being there, are anxious to return, feeling alienated by America’s superficiality and largesse. Billy Lynn, recognized as a hero for trying to rescue his fallen commander in battle, wants to stay and live a simpler life in Texas, yet knows his buddies are depending on him. Billy’s sister Kathryn (Kristen Stewart) desperately tries to persuade Billy to stay home. An agent (Chris Tucker) accompanies the Marines on their tour and is trying to cut a film deal so they can see some money from their heroics, and the Dallas team owner (Steve Martin) agrees to finance the film himself — but for less money than the Marines feel they deserve.
The story is less about the heroism of the Marines (which is eventually shown in flashbacks) than the surprising superficiality of the society they are risking their lives to protect. The Marines just take it in stride, but nothing they encounter in Dallas is as real as the danger and camaraderie they feel in Iraq. People give lip service to the Marines for their sacrifice, and others want nothing to do with them. The film conveys the feeling that the Marines are sadly isolated when it comes to being a part of our community, and convincingly argues that they are better off overseas. The climactic battle flashback, however, does little to convince the audience that they are doing any good in Iraq; their unit is sucked into a skirmish that immediately escalates into a full-blown battle, and their commanding officer (Vin Diesel) seems to risk himself, and his unit, for no good reason at all.
On top of that, the brief public relations tour is nearly disastrous. More than one of the Marines, including Billy Lynn, is clearly suffering from stress disorder; only the ranking officer Dime (Garrett Hedlund) is able to keep the men in line; they are inserted into the football game’s halftime show with no preparation or instruction; the team owner fetes them but fails to ensure their safety and well-being. This part of the story is very effective; the subplot about having a movie made of their Iraq battle is not, feeling forced and stilted. And Billy Lynn’s encounters with one of the team’s sexy cheerleaders (Makenzie Leigh) move at rocket speed from flirting to complete devotion.
Clearly, there is a lot to take in here. Much of the story is effective in presenting a myriad of perspectives regarding modern military service. But not everything works. Late in the film some of the characters, most notably Steve Martin’s, suddenly present themselves directly to the camera, as if exhorting the audience, as Billy Lynn, to follow their advice; I found this not just jarring but incredibly distracting. Billy Lynn’s home life (seen in flashbacks) was more clichéd than authentic, while it was spectacularly odd that the Dallas Cowboys and Destiny’s Child were not allowed to be the real team and the real musical group (rights fees, I suppose). The film is good, but it isn’t the instant classic promised by its review blurbs. ☆ ☆ ☆. 7 December 2016.