The Wall

A solitary American soldier is pinned down in an Iraqi wasteland by a sadistic—or merely methodical—enemy sniper in filmmaker Doug Liman's The Wall, a minimalist military survival story that comes across largely as a technical exercise, albeit an efficiently manufactured one. The story opens with two camouflaged Americans, hardened Sergeant Matthews (John Cena) and his wiry spotter Isaac (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), warily observing a stretch of oil pipeline where a construction crew was ambushed and killed. Matthews goes to examine the bodies, only to be shot by the well-concealed shooter. And when Isaac unwisely rushes down to help, he too is wounded and takes refuge behind the remnants of what was once a building's stone wall. Desperately working the damaged radio, Isaac receives hopeful messages, which initially seem to be coming from American base camp, but are actually from the sniper, who alternately taunts Isaac and engages in pseudo-friendly conversation. The sniper's prodding eventually leads the American into making painful admissions of guilt over past mistakes. While the film's basic trajectory has the feel of dramatic contrivance, Liman and Taylor-Johnson prove adept in keeping the tension level high, and they deliver an ending that is likely to confound the expectations of most viewers. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Doug Liman and star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, a “Facts from the Front Lines: A Visual Journey” featurette (11 min.), and behind-the-scenes segments (9 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an effective minimalist war drama.] (F. Swietek)