Movie Review: Backs to The Wall
There's a very pre-blockbuster 70s ethos to this, a time when films weren't formulaic - and it is thanks in part to Internet shopping.
Distributed by Amazon, big league director Doug Liman (the Bourne movies, Mr & Mrs Smith) has turned around this low-key effort for just US$3 million (S$4.2 million). It is bold. Single location, pretty much a one-man show.
But you can't get more honest a title than The Wall. It has close to 99 per cent of the screen time.
After a conversation that tries to break the record for F-bombs, United States Army Staff Sergeant Matthews (Cena) is felled by Laith's sniper, and his spotter Sergeant Isaac (Taylor-Johnson) takes cover by the titular structure.
And there he stays, wounded, in a limited movement game of cat-and-mouse with the unseen assassin - for the entire film.
Liman is known for his big action set pieces, so in keeping it this tight, he actually manages to add some tension and suspense. For a film set against a huge expanse, there's a claustrophobia to Isaac's predicament. You don't know if he'll make it out in one piece, if at all (he has a heinous leg wound).
Taylor-Johnson pulls out his redneck accent again and he is good enough in the role, but not outstanding. The situation is greater than the character. Take a bottle of water with you because you can almost taste the sand, and the lack of music adds to the arid feel.
But while The Wall hits the right notes with action, the dialogue is weak and gets trite very quickly. The sniper even trots out "We are not so different, you and I" - possibly the most cliched of villain lines.
His words are there to emphasise that the war in Iraq was a bad idea, hurting too many innocents. But putting that into what turns out to be an experimental indie film is only going to preach to the choir. Get that message in some no-brain Michael Bay film and you might have more effect.
RATING: 2.5/5
STARRING: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena, Laith Nakli
DIRECTOR: Doug Liman
THE SKINNY: A US soldier (Taylor-Johnson) is trapped in the middle of a desert by a lethal Iraqi sniper (Nakli). Under the baking sun and taunted by his nemesis, his only protection is an unsteady wall.
RATING: M18
Still in cinemas
Despicable Me 3 (PG)
It's twice the fun from Steve Carell, who voices Gru and twin brother Dru. The brothers attempt to stop a former child star-turned-villain from destroying Hollywood.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81%
The Promise (PG13)
The excellent cast of Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and Charlotte Le Bon make this tale about the largely forgotten atrocities of the early 20th century Armenian Genocide worth watching.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 50%
Transformers: The Last Knight (PG13)
It may be the worst-reviewed movie of the summer blockbuster season, but negative press is not stopping Michael Bay and his band of bots from making money at box offices around the world.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 15%
Wonder Woman (PG)
Wonder Woman is showing little sign of slowing down as it continues to tear up the box office, becoming the highest-grossing release within the DC Extended Universe.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
The Mummy (PG13)
An overzealous Tom Cruise and bad word of mouth are not keeping this action thriller in the crypt.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 16%
The Hunter's Prayer (NC16)
Sam Worthington plays an assassin who can't bear to pull the trigger on Odeya Rush, and so the hunter becomes the hunted. Together, they race against time to expose those responsible for brutally murdering her family and bring them to justice.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 41%
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
