Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is a 2016 war drama film directed by Ang Lee and written by Jean-Christophe Castelli, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Ben Fountain. The film stars Joe Alwyn, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin, and Chris Tucker. Principal photography began in April 2015 in Georgia. The film is a co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, and China.
The film had its world premiere at the 54th New York Film Festival on October 14, 2016, and was theatrically released in North America on November 11, 2016, by TriStar Pictures. It had high production costs associated with being the first-ever feature film using an extra-high frame rate of 120 frames per second, further complicated by the 3D format, at 4K UHD resolution. The film received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office, grossing $30.9 million worldwide against its $40 million budget.
Plot
Billy Lynn, a 19-year-old US Army specialist from Texas, is caught on camera dragging wounded Sergeant Virgil "Shroom" Breem to safety during an intense firefight in Iraq on October 23, 2004. This act of courage earns Lynn the Silver Star and quickly ascends him and his unit, erroneously designated "Bravo Squad" by the media, to celebrity status. They return to the U.S. for Shroom's funeral, then are sent on a publicity tour culminating at the halftime show of the November 25 Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving home game.
Now led by Sgt. David Dime, the members of Bravo Squad are driven in a limousine to the stadium with the Cowboys' PR representative Josh and film producer Albert Brown, who is in the process of securing a film deal for the squad. A flashback reveals that Billy joined the army after destroying the car of his older sister Kathryn's boyfriend, who left her after she was in a car accident that required multiple facial reconstruction procedures. At the stadium, the group is greeted by anxious fans who express gratitude for their actions in the Iraq War. During a press conference, Billy spots a Cowboys Cheerleader, Faison, smiling at him. They strike up a conversation and begin a flirtation. Billy tells her how it feels weird to be honored for the worst day of his life.
As the game starts, Billy recalls his time in Iraq, where Shroom had offered him karmic philosophical insight and advice during their downtime. It is revealed that once the game ends, Bravo Squad will have to return to duty. Billy receives a phone call from a psychiatrist to whom Kathryn had spoken, regarding a plan to get Billy honorably discharged so he doesn't have to return to Iraq, thereby sparing him further suffering.
During the halftime show, featuring Destiny's Child, the loud music and pyrotechnics traumatize an already unstable squad member, Sykes, and he reacts violently against stage manager and a security guard. Billy experiences a flashback to the battle that made them famous. The squad was called in to rescue soldiers pinned down by insurgents at a school. Shroom is shot while advancing from cover, and Billy rushes to save him, firing on the nearby insurgents with his sidearm. Billy drags Shroom into a trench, but an insurgent attacks Billy at close range. Billy kills him in self-defense, but is traumatized by the incident and, upon returning to help, discovers Shroom has bled to death. Billy's flashback ends when troop members get his attention and point out that the halftime show has been over for a few minutes. Billy had been frozen in place all the while. As they are urged to leave by stage hands and security, the soldiers are diverted from a fight by cheerleaders led by Faison. Billy takes her name and number on his cell phone, learning that her last name is Zorn, meaning 'anger'.
Billy and Dime meet with the owner of the Cowboys, Norm Oglesby, who is considering investing in Albert's movie about the incident in Iraq. However, instead of the $100,000 that Albert was hoping to get for each squad member, Oglesby offers them only $5,500 apiece. Dime angrily rebuffs Oglesby's offer. In private, Oglesby tells Billy that the squad's story is no longer theirs, but instead belongs to the American people. Billy tells Oglesby off, joining Dime. Albert promises Billy that he will find investors one way or another, and that their story deserves to be told "the right way."