The Wall ** (2017, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena, Laith Nakli) – Movie Review

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and WWE wrestler John Cena star as American soldiers trapped by, and at the sadistic mercy of, a unseen a lethal Iraqi sniper (voice of Laith Nakli) in director Doug Liman’s sweatily intense, grittily realistic psychological cat and mouse war thriller, set at the end of the Iraq war in late 2007.

Cena’s marksman Matthews is hit and falls, apparently mortally wounded, and Taylor-Johnson’s back-up guy Isaac is shot in the leg trying to help him, but makes it to minimum cover behind the crumbling wall of the title. The crackshot sniper, Juba aka the Angel of Death, hacks into Isaac’s radio and wants to talk and to taunt and torment Isaac. How can T-J find a way out of this rat trap?

The casting of England’s Taylor-Johnson in this very American role of Isaac is puzzling. With the camera exploring every pore of his face, he looks too handsome and film starry with his grimed-up face and still perfect teeth, though admittedly he gives a strong enough performance as the resourceful wounded soldier, gradually succumbing to pain, heat, the sand, lack of water and fatigue, but still fighting through.

Though well done, The Wall is a none-too-cheery film of relentless suffering and it is hard to watch even for its short 85 minutes. the scenes of A T-J trying to deal with and dress his wounded leg are distressing. Dwain Worrell’s spare screenplay doesn’t disclose its point. War is bad, people get hurt and killed? Mmm. Maybe it doesn’t have a point. War is pointless. Yes, that must be it.

You expect battle action, and excitement, especially as it is from the director of Edge of Tomorrow, Mr and Mrs Smith, Jumper, and The Bourne Identity, but Liman’s movie provides neither. There is good craftsmanship and intelligence, but, dare I even say it when these commodities are so rare in movies, more than that is needed. More than we get here is needed for a satisfying movie.

With its one location and hardly more than one actor, it was made for what is known as a ‘shoestring’ budget of $3 million, and is the first ever spec script to be commissioned by Amazon.

The 27-year-old Taylor-Johnson said: ‘I prepared by spending months with marines and former war veterans, and I did some military training in Arkansas. We have shown the film to lots of ex-military personnel and they have praised it for its accuracy.’

© Derek Winnert 2016 Movie Review

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