135_One_Movie_Punch_Last_Flag_Flying_2017

Today’s movie is “Last Flag Flying” (2017), the Amazon Studios drama directed by Richard Linklater and written for the screen in collaboration with Darryl Ponicsan, based on his novel. The film follows Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carrell), who travels with his former military friends Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) and Rev. Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne), to bury his son who died in the Iraq War.

Spoilers ahead.

Richard Linklater is one of those rare directors that has mastered the ability to have a diverse filmography that maintains a mostly consistent aesthetic. I’m not talking about using rotoscoping animation technique, even if “Waking Life” was my first experience with Linklater, or at least not just that. You just know it’s a Linklater film the same way that you know it’s a Wes Anderson or a Quentin Tarantino or a Tyler Perry film. It creates a lot of freedom to play with different genres of film and not be beholden to the unspoken rules within each genre.

I can see why Linklater was drawn to Ponicsan’s novel, which was a sequel to an earlier novel called “The Last Detail”, adapted into a film in 1973. I can also see why he co-wrote it with Ponicsan, as the time for a more authentic sequel had long past, and everything about that period of time seems quite different twelve years later in hindsight. The film may be set in 2003, but it benefits from that hindsight in really great ways, able to ask and answer the right questions about the time period. The audience also benefits from knowing more about the facts surrounding the Iraq War, as opposed to the so-called faulty intelligence of the time.

This film has great dialogue, but it is brought to life by the cast. Steve Carrell exudes a feeling of grief throughout the entire film, where even his few moments of joy feel like a kind of mania. Laurence Fishburne plays the reformed soldier to a tee, moving between soldier and preacher as needed. But Bryan Cranston as Sal Nealon is fantastic, acting as both provocateur and defender, with a well-developed character. And most importantly, the chemistry between them is excellent, with no upstaging, and no scene overstaying its welcome.

“Last Flag Flying” (2017) is ultimately a film about the paradox of the American soldier, wanting to do what’s right for the country even when sometimes our political leaders can act as opportunists. It’s also a film about the stories we are told about the wars we’ve engaged in, and the stories we tell ourselves to cope with the consequences of those wars, in particular, losing family members. Fans of military or family dramas, or any fan of Linklater, will enjoy this film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (CERTIFIED)

Metacritic: 65

One Movie Punch: 9.0/10

Podcast: onemoviepunch.libsyn.com/episode-135-last-flag-flying-2017

“Last Flag Flying” (2017) is rated R and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Episode 135 - Last Flag Flying (2017)

Episode 289 - Summer of '84 (2018)

Episode 288 - First Man (2018)

Episode 287 - Apostle (2018)

Episode 286 - 22 July (2018)

Episode 285 - Ballad of the Little Soldier (1984)

Episode 284 - Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (2018)

Episode 283 - Raazi (2018)

Episode 282 - Chappaquiddick (2018)

Episode 281 - Venom (2018)

Episode 280 - Gemini (2017)

Episode 279 - Private Life (2018)

Episode 278 - The Karate Kid (1984)

Episode 277 - Two Catalonias (2018)

Episode 276 - The 3rd Eye (2018)

Episode 275 - Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

Episode 274 - A Simple Favor (2018)

Episode 273 - The Endless (2017)

Episode 272 - Hold The Dark (2018)

Episode 271 - Chinatown (1974)

Episode 270 - Quincy (2018)

Joseph Dobzynski, Jr.

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