Review: The Wall

Director Doug Liman has had his moments with me in terms of high-quality film-making. Most of them being in the action genre in the form of The Bourne Identity and the brilliant Edge Of Tomorrow.
It is also easy to forget that he helped direct the late 90's cult hit Swingers.

I remember seeing the trailer for this quite a while ago, and I saw potential in the concept of this war thriller. Not even the casting of WWE wrestler John Cena could detract my interest.

I must say that the scope is incredibly small, and the premise is super simple. I think for some people, it may help if you know what type of film it is going to be. If you like films like Phone Booth and Buried, then you will have a blast with this.
I really like those films, and it is a concept that would win me over any time.

But to be honest, while I liked most of the film, it was only the very final scene that elevated its score to almost the same status as Phone Booth and Buried. Without spoiling it, what I think made me give it the exceptional rating is the moment where we find out more about the antagonists agenda, which gives it a much more intriguing story that you can discuss at length.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is great throughout. He is basically carrying the film, and for anyone to be able to pull that off is enough credit to applaud the performance. The development of his character was really personal, and felt well fleshed out by the end of it.
I did not think John Cena will play a likable character. He managed to pull it off rather well, and he might have a promising acting career once he is done with wrestling.

I know some won't like these types of films. But I felt this to be a very rewarding film. There are some nice twists and turns. At times, there are moments that are tough to watch. It's a great cat-and-mouse game from the first minute that you get involved with. You also really feel the isolation in the desert environment.

I like it that Liman and his team never felt forced to up the pacing of the film for the sake of it. The real-time pacing felt essential to the tension for me. While like in Buried you would probably need situations to keep the film going. In 'The Wall' it uses its environment to its fullest. The brutality of a desert environment, the mind games  used by our main characters and the stories you hear during the character development moments.

However, I must admit that there are moments where nothing happens and it took me out of it. But it was only for fleeting moments. I think that along with the tension not being as strong as films similar to it, will fractionally downgrade it.

But on the whole, I really enjoyed this. The concept is used really well, the tension ramps up rather well, especially in the final act and the performances are great. It is great to see films like this, because you don't always need an end of the world scenario. Films like this that work and can have a much more emotional impact at times, and I think this is one of them. Its 90 minute duration is certainly the right amount for this type of premise.

I also really liked the piece of music used in the end credits. Sadly, I am struggling to find a copy. But I will make sure to find one in the end.

Rating: 8/10