The Wall

With tensions fling globally, i.e. militarily, financially, pestilence, famine, etc., it undoubtedly  has effected so many people including the Hollywood community. Military films, of late, have been prevalent considering the world's turmoil. We've seen them: "Stop-Loss", "Hurt Locker", "Jarhead", "Zero Dark Thirty", "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" to mention a handful. Now we have "The Wall" to add to that seemingly never ending list.

 

This is a deadly psychological thriller that follows two badly wounded U.S. soldiers, Shane Matthews (John Cena) and Isaac (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who are pinned down by a lethal enemy sniper, Juba (Laith Nakli). As their assailant taunts them over the radio, the duo try to scramble to safety with only a crumbling stone wall for a cover. Their fight becomes as much a battle of will and wits as it is of lethally accurate marksmanship which makes it the quintessential 'cat and mouse' game. Will either side crack under the physical and/or manipulative aspects of what's being said to one another?

 

This was amazingly well directed by seasoned director Doug Liman ("Getting In" '94, "Swingers" '96, "Go" '99, "The Bourne Identity" '02, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" '05, "Jumper" '08, "Fair Game" '10, "Edge of Tomorrow" '14) plus shorts and TV. Although this film has only three actors total in it, it's amazing how Liman was able to get his actors to emit that particular level of realism to their respective roles. Even the sniper, whom isn't seen on screen at all, gave a riveting performance of this shrewd and manipulative soldier just by listening to him. If you like his particular brand of directing, "American Made" is complete and should be released this year. He also has several films in pre-production as well as being announced. Obviously this filmmaker is an extremely busy guy. This was solidly written by relative newcomer Dwain Worrell ("Walking the Dead" '10, "Operator" '15) plus TV. Considering the limited experience, Worrell will definitely receive future work. Most films with this few of characters have an extremely difficult time holding an audience's attention, but this kept me riveted. Other than a couple of places where it could've been a bit more cohesive, this screenplay soared.

 

Obviously this only having a 90 minute running time, this cut right to the chase, but I believe this was purposed to get the audience reeled into the plot and characters quick so as to make the intensity valid. Whether you like war films or not, this is as much a psychological film as it is a physical war drama, so there's something for many different people.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                     Rated: R                                     90mins.