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Picture
The Wall (15.)

Directed by Doug Liman.



Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena and Laith Nakli. 88 mins.


In a change of pace from making large Hollywood pieces like Mr & Mrs Smith and The Edge of Tomorrow, Liman has come up with a feelbad Iraq War movie that is pitched on such a itsy bitsy teeny weeny scale, it would probably be better served put on as a stage show. Stringing out the climax of Full Metal Jacket, the script leaves one soldier (Johnson) stuck behind a wall, and another (Cena) laid out in full view of a sniper. Seems like a tense situation, but its credibility is blown by the theatrical contrivance of turning it into a dialogue with the enemy.


I don't know what the opposite of gung ho is, but this is it. Unless you made your fortune in it, the Iraq war is now generally regarded as a mistake, but The Wall goes above and beyond the call of duty to really rub America's face in the dirt. The Iraqi enemy is smarter, better educated and quotes Poe at the poor, oblivious grunt.


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