The Wall, a 2017 film that can be viewed for free with an Amazon Prime membership, has just been brought back into the public consciousness. That’s mostly because, over the course of the last month, more than half of the video was uploaded to TikTok as two-minute segments, all thanks to one TikTok user in particular. The “For You” pages have been flooded with those video. Additionally, there are those who, out of pure curiosity, have watched the entire 89-minute film on Amazon.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the American soldier hiding behind a wall in The Wall, a film directed by Doug Liman and written by Dwain Worrell in which the Iraqi soldier who fires upon him taunts him over the radio. Critics were divided on the film, and audiences weren’t particularly enthusiastic about it. TikTok, however, has given The Wall a new lease on streaming life.
If you saw the film, you know the unexpectedly sad conclusion to The Wall. Let’s dive in.
Overview of the Film “The Wall”
The Wall is a straightforward premise. At the close of the Iraq War in 2007, John Cena plays Sergeant Shane Matthews, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Sergeant Allen Isaac. They’ve been dispatched to the location of a fatal sniper attack on American contractors and soldiers in Iraq. Matthews spends almost 20 hours scouting out the location and concludes there is no enemy there. Despite Isaac’s warning that “super soldiers” might be waiting nearby, Matthews approaches the scene to take the radio from the dead soldier.
Matthews is shot as he approaches the scene, proving Isaac right. The accident leaves him in critical condition. Upon rushing to his aid, Isaac is also shot. The shots pierced his radio, water bottle, and leg. He ducks behind some rubble and tries to make a distress call on his broken radio. The American channel has been intercepted, he understands fast, and it was the Iraqi soldier who shot him. Isaac is talking to the Iraqi soldier, who appears oddly interested in his personal life, as he slowly passes out from dehydration.
In The Wall, who is Juba?
Isaac eventually surmises that the name of the Iraqi man talking to him is “Juba.” This fictitious Iraqi sniper is said to have killed over 700 U.S. soldiers during the Iraq War. A Reuters article claimed to have video evidence of a sniper so competent that he could kill with a single shot to the head. A number of people, the Iraqi soldier in the film notes, used the alias “Juba” during the conflict.
Why the Wall ends the way it does:
Isaac overhears an Iraqi soldier impersonating himself to the U.S. Army over the radio. Isaac sees that he’s been used. The Iraqi learned to imitate his speech pattern and mannerisms in order to attract rescue aircraft. However, Isaac has picked up a few nuggets of information as well, such as the sniper’s hiding spot in Iraq. Isaac determines the shooter is hiding out in the garbage because of radio interference.
Hearing the oncoming helicopter, Isaac makes the decision to risk his life in an effort to prevent the aircraft from being shot down. In order to see the garbage heap, he breaks down the barrier sheltering him. As soon as he hears shots coming from the dumpster, he begins firing in that direction. He has no idea if his shot actually killed the sniper. But no one shoots at Isaac when he stands up. Soldiers transfer Isaac onto a stretcher as the helicopter touches down. Hooray! He eliminated the sniper and is safe at this point.
Quite the opposite, in fact. They are being shot at as the helicopter takes off. Even when Isaac yells that the sniper is hiding under the garbage, it’s already too late. The helicopter inevitably crashes.
In The Wall, does Isaac meet his end?
Although Isaac’s death is not depicted on screen, it is safe to presume that it occurs towards the conclusion of The Wall. The movie ends with a shot of the downed helicopter as seen through the sniper’s scope. There appears to be no signs of life inside. On the radio, an American woman wants to know if any members of the rescue effort are copying. The Iraqi sharpshooter responds, “Reading you, Lima-Charlie,” in an impeccable Texan accent. Over.”
The movie concludes with that. The inference is that the Iraqi sniper was successful in his goal of killing as many American troops as possible by passing himself off as one of them over the radio. The film suggests the sniper will endlessly fire his weapon. That is to say, the antagonist prevails. When it comes to battle, though, not every story has a good ending.
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