The title of Last Flag Flying sounds unfortunately like the kind of thing you’d hear at the RNC or worse still, a Trump rally. It’s a phrase that seems to imply that kind of nationalistic nonsense about how the American flag and their military need to be glorified that leads to a distorted sense of values. This movie could almost be a propaganda piece. But it’s not; in fact it actually criticizes these very notions while remarkably at the same time being a genuinely patriotic love letter to the U.S. military and its veterans.
And no less is expected from a master filmmaker like Richard Linklater. Here, he tells a very heartfelt story about three veterans and their relationship, both good and bad, to the institution that changed their lives.
Set in 2003, Vietnam vet Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carrell) has recently lost his son in Iraq and seeks out his old military buddies to accompany him to the funeral. Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) is a crass alcoholic running a shoddy bar in Virginia, while Richard “the Mauler” Mueller (Laurence Fishburne), notorious for his vices in his younger days, is now a pastor. When the trio arrive at the wake and learn that the military lied to Doc about the circumstances of his sons’ death, they decide to take the casket themselves back to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to bury Doc’s son at home.
The book this movie’s based on by Darryl Ponicsan (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater) is the sequel to The Last Detail which itself was made into a movie in 1973. However this film is not a sequel to that one. This movie is fairly self-contained and all the references to these characters’ service in Vietnam work merely as allusions that don’t need to be seen first-hand, or conscious parallels with the war in Iraq. And we learn a lot about the characters this way, their past, and how they’ve gotten to where they are in life. There’s some pretty heavy stuff in this, such as their attempts to reconcile an incident that led to the death of a friend and Doc’s discharge during the final years of the war. But at the same time, Last Flag Flying is a road trip movie and naturally has quite a sense of humour, both in the strange though believable detours in their journey, but mostly in their interactions.
This film really succeeds on the chemistry of its three lead actors and how well-written their characters are. Carrell continues to impress with Doc being one of his best dramatic performances. It’s amazing to think in the same year he played the over-the-top charismatic showman of Bobby Riggs, he also played this timid, awkward and soft-spoken but frustrated father, and was really great in both roles. He carries the emotional weight very well, one of the best moments being his reaction to seeing his sons’ body. Cranston is pretty great too as the immature Sal, a type of brash, pathetic character I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play. And he really gives his all to it. His best moments are the ones he shares with Fishburne, the disparity of their ideals and beliefs making for a lot of fun banter. And not only is Fishburne impeccable as well, but it’s refreshing to see a pastor character portrayed like a real person rather than as one extreme or another. He’s devout and a tad pious sure, but he also gradually comes out of his shell over the course of the story, sharing in an occasional off-colour remark, joke, or memory. The film also features a revelatory performance from J. Quinton Johnson, who’d had a minor role in Linklater’s previous film Everybody Wants Some!!, but here gets plenty of opportunity to shine as a friend of Doc’s son and sometimes companion of the trio; as well as Cicely Tyson lighting up the screen for a short scene. Yul Vazquez plays a colonel in conflict with Doc’s decision who at one point turns into a needless villain and is definitely the movie’s most notable shortcoming.
Vazquez acts as the face of military though which needs to be present. Last Flag Flying comments subtly on the treatment of veterans, but is more critical of the establishment’s public relations. There’s an emphasis put on the red tape Doc has to go through to get his son’s body, as well as the military’s attempt to interfere with the funeral. A light is also shed on the stories the government gives to families of the dead. Doc is told his son died in an ambush saving his fellow troops when the truth is quite a bit different and less conventionally heroic. Sal, who has a particular dislike for authority figures, makes a statement about how the military owes it to the families of the dead to be truthful. But this movie’s smart enough to know that sometimes the lie is necessary, as is illustrated wonderfully later on. The overarching theme is still one of accountability, but it understands the nuances of that. And while this does make for a message that appears a little jumbled, it manages to resonate through because of this movie’s resolute refusal to take one side or the other.
Last Flag Flying is a compelling look into the complicated relationship between veterans and the military, but it’s also a rich character journey for three really engaging people. Linklater is a natural at honest storytelling, and as such, this movie demonstrates a legitimate respect for servicemen and the honour in serving, without deifying either.
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