Three weeks out from its theatrical release, a new international trailer for Ang Lee war drama Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk has arrived for your viewing pleasure.
Indeed. much has been said about the technical aspects of the November release – Lee shot the pic in 4K resolution and native 3D – but given only a select handful of theaters across the globe will be able to show the wartime thriller as it was intended, we can’t help but think that Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk will sink or swim depending on the actual story. Based on Ben Fountain’s best-seller, newcomer Joe Alwyn takes point as Billy Lynn, a haunted young soldier who faces the stressing reality of rehabilitation and PTSD upon returning to home turf.
Assimilating into normal life proves difficult for our protagonist, though, and beyond the eye-popping visuals, Ang Lee’s latest has all the makings of a poignant, melancholic affair. Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Garrett Hedlund, Steve Martin, Chris Tucker, Tim Blake Nelson and Beau Knapp round out the ensemble.
After closing out the New York Film Festival two weeks ago, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is expected to march into theaters on November 11. The real question now is whether Ang Lee’s war opus can compete during awards season.
Director Ang Lee brings his extraordinary vision to Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, based on the widely-acclaimed, bestselling novel. The film is told from the point of view 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. The film also stars Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, with Vin Diesel, and Steve Martin. Lee 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.
