Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk: 120 Frames Per Distraction

​Shot twice as fast as the previous record (Peter Jackson’s 2012 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 48 fps), Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk will go down in the books as another failed attempt for the higher frame rate obsession. 

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Director Ang Lee’s (Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi) heart might be in the right place, but sadly these experiments and innovations are merely a distraction. The film used an unprecedented shooting and projection frame rate of 120 frames per second in 3D at 4K HD resolution. This is five times the normal frame rate, which is usually shot in 24 fps. Lee’s ambition is high, but the overall project comes up a bit scattershot.

The film is told from the point of view of 19-year-old private Billy Lynn (played by Joe Alwyn). Billy and his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad have been hailed as a hero and bringing brought home for a victory tour after a painful Iraq battle. Through a series of flashbacks seen through Billy’s eyes, the film reveals what really happened to the squad during battle. During a halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day football game, Lee grapples with contrasting the realities of the Iraq conflict with America's celebration back home.

​Nevertheless, the film has heart and honors our fellow soldiers throughout our country. Unfortunately for me, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk never comes full circle and is engulfed by its visual paintings flashing before your eyes. Actors Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel and Steve Martin do their best to save the film, but never succeed. If anything, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk will go down as 2016’s glorious technical misfire. 

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is rated R (Restricted). For language throughout, some war violence, sexual content, and brief drug use.