The Wall (2017 film)
| The Wall | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Doug Liman |
| Written by | Dwain Worrell |
| Produced by | Dave Bartis |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Roman Vasyanov |
| Edited by | Julia Bloch |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Roadside Attractions |
Release date |
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Running time | 81 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million[2] |
| Box office | $1 million[1] |
The Wall is a 2017 American war thriller film directed by Doug Liman and written by Dwain Worrell. The film follows two American soldiers (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and John Cena) trapped by an Iraqi sniper. It is produced by Amazon Studios, and was released on May 12, 2017 by Roadside Attractions.
Plot
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Shane Matthews is a sniper who is sent to investigate a pipeline construction site in the desert of Iraq with his spotter, Sergeant Allen Isaac.
The pair patiently wait 22 hours on overwatch before determining that the site is clear. Matthews proceeds to collect the radios of the dead security guards, but is shot by Juba, an Iraqi sniper. Isaac tries to rescue the dying Matthews and in the process is also wounded, has his radio damaged and his water bottle destroyed.
Alone, Isaac takes cover behind an unsteady wall and tends to his wounds. Juba had previously taken a radio from one of his victims, and now uses it to communicate with Isaac under the pretense of being a high ranking allied soldier at another site. The deception allows Juba to get other useful information from Isaac.
Isaac attempts to call headquarters for help, but the signal from his damaged radio is too weak. He attempts to repair his broken antenna with one from a dead contractor's radio, only to hear that Juba has used the earlier information to call for help and lure a rescue team into a trap.
Isaac hears the rescue helicopters coming, so he uses Matthews' rifle to try and kill Juba, or at least flush him out so the rescue chopper can see the trap. Isaac kills Juba and is rescued. Juba, only playing dead, successfully shoots down the helicopter. He then is heard over the radio, calling for another rescue to set another trap.
Cast
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergeant Allen Isaac[3]
- John Cena as Staff Sergeant Shane Matthews[4][5]
- Laith Nakli as Juba, an Iraqi sniper
Production
On November 12, 2014, it was announced that Amazon Studios had bought its first ever original spec script by Dwain Worrell, about an American sharpshooter trapped behind a wall by an Iraqi sniper. Worrell wrote his screenplay while teaching English in China.[6][7] Worrell drew from his background as a playwright to flesh out the second act of the screenplay, which focuses on Isaac's conversation with Juba. Worrell said, "What interested me about it was the simple conversation between two people. That could almost be had on a New York City park bench with two guys playing chess. There is that sort of dynamic between the characters in the film."[8] The script appeared in the 2014 Black List of most liked un-produced screenplays.[6]
On March 29, 2016, it was reported that Doug Liman had been hired to direct the psychological thriller.[7] Glen Basner's FilmNation Entertainment handled the film's international sales at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, allowing for a theatrical release.[9]
On May 9, 2016, Variety confirmed that Aaron Taylor-Johnson had joined the film's cast to play the American sniper.[3] On November 29, it was reported that Amazon had partnered with Roadside Attractions to distribute the film, which would also star John Cena, and the film would now follow two American soldiers. Amazon produced the film along with Big Indie Pictures, and Picrow, and Dave Bartis.
Principal photography on the film ended in November 2016 with a release of first look image.[5] US Ranger Sniper Nicholas Irving "The Reaper" was an on-set adviser for the film.[4]
Release
The Wall was scheduled to be released on March 10, 2017, by Roadside Attractions.[4][5] but was pushed back to May 12, 2017.[1]
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 68% based on 62 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Wall makes the most of its limitations -- albeit perhaps not quite enough to stretch its tight-focused action into a consistently gripping feature-length thriller."[10] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score 58 out of 100, based 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11]
References
- ^ a b c "The Wall (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ Don Kaye (2017-05-10). "Director Doug Liman Leaves His Comfort Zone with The Wall". Den of Geek!. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
- ^ a b Kroll, Justin (May 9, 2016). "Aaron Taylor-Johnson Eyed for Lead in Doug Liman's 'The Wall' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ a b c Busch, Anita (November 29, 2016). "Doug Liman's 'The Wall' To Be Released By Roadside Next Year". Deadline. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ a b c Lesnick, Silas (November 29, 2016). "The Wall Movie Set For Distribution". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ a b Jr, Mike Fleming (November 12, 2014). "Amazon Studios' China Reach Helps Movie Arm Land Feature Spec 'The Wall'". Deadline. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Kit, Borys (March 29, 2016). "Doug Liman to Direct 'The Wall' Before Tackling Channing Tatum's 'Gambit' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ McKittrick, Christopher (May 12, 2017). "A Simple Conversation: Dwain Worrell on The Wall". Creative Screenwriting. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ Jaafar, Ali (May 9, 2016). "FilmNation Sets Sales For Amazon On Doug Liman's 'The Wall' And Todd Haynes' 'Wonderstruck' – Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ "The Wall (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "The Wall reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 16, 2017.