The Last Full Measure
2.5/4
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson, William Hurt, Bradley Whitford, Ed Harris, Diane Ladd, Jeremy Irvine, Alison Sudol
Rated R for War Violence, and Language
I had to take a minute to ask myself why I didn't fully embrace this movie. It has an array of strong performances and more than a few moments of real emotional power. Certainly this story needed to be told. But is this the movie to tell it? I don't think so. The screenplay is bland, the emotional temperature is frequently wrong, and the manipulation is at times too heavy handed. This good story needed a better storyteller.
Scott Huffman (Stan) is a yuppie lawyer working for the Department of Defense. He's cocky and ambitious, but the fact that he has a young son and a pregnant wife doesn't camouflage the fact that he's kind of a jerk. Just as he's about to put the finishing touches on a project he's spent most of the year on, he's given a new assignment. A man named Tulley (Hurt) shows up in his office and asks to upgrade the Silver Cross a fallen airman received in Vietnam to the more prestigious Medal of Honor. Scott doesn't want the job. He's got his own work to do and is busy positioning himself for a massive promotion. His boss (Whitford) tells him to go through the motions and pass it off to someone else (or bury it, which is the same thing). So he conducts interviews just to show that he's attempting to do something. But the more he finds out about the soldier, William Pitsenbarger, aka "Pits" (Irvine), the more he wants to do the man justice, and the more respect he has for the sacrifices Pits and his fellow soldiers made.
The problem with this film is not that it is manipulative. Movies are by nature manipulative. They are designed to convey certain emotions to the viewers, be it suspense or sadness. But it must be earned. It requires a deft hand that eludes writer/director Todd Robinson. Tonally, the film is all over the map. There are some one-liners in a movie that wants to move us while more than a few scenes are overwrought. The screenplay is also underwritten, with some scenes being needlessly verbose while others being confusing.
Yet I cannot deny that there are moments that did move me. That success comes from the cast, which includes the likes of Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, Samual L. Jackson, William Hurt, Bradley Whitford, Ed Harris, Diane Ladd, Jeremy Irvine, Michael Imperioli, Linus Roache, the late great Peter Fonda (in his final performance), Amy Madigan, John Savage, Robert Pine and Lisa Gay Hamilton. This great cast was obviously drawn to a great story and they give it their all. In fact, most of the moments that do land are more for their acting abilities rather than the efforts of Robinson. Sebastian Stan is the lead is present in every scene. He's solid, but he is unfortunately saddled with a flat character. Scott is just a jerk in a suit who grows a heart and a conscience. Special mention must go to William Hurt and especially Christopher Plummer, each of whom have a number of standout scenes.
But the one who stands out for me the most is Jeremy Irvine. Despite working for and with some of the best talent in the business (Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Sam Reid), Irvine has never particularly impressed me with his acting ability. Let me rephrase. I've never seen him in a part that I think he was used very well. There's always been talent and presence there, but it hasn't been molded by a director correctly (yes, even Spielberg is guilty of this). That all changes here. Truth be told, Irvine doesn't have a lot to do or say in this movie. Pits appears solely in flashback. Yet, Irvine manages to use everything he has to communicate real warmth and strength. The battle scenes are harrowing and chaotic, but Irvine conveys a real sense of peace and hope. When the men talk about him as if he were an angel, I believed it. But this isn't hero worship and Pits never seems to good to be true. I don't know how Irvine does it, and I don't think he could tell me if I asked him. But he does it. Irvine is the real heart of the story.
So the movie doesn't quite work. And I feel a little ashamed to admit it. But there has to be a divide between the subject and the movie. Pits is worthy of regard, but the movie is not.
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson, William Hurt, Bradley Whitford, Ed Harris, Diane Ladd, Jeremy Irvine, Alison Sudol
Rated R for War Violence, and Language
I had to take a minute to ask myself why I didn't fully embrace this movie. It has an array of strong performances and more than a few moments of real emotional power. Certainly this story needed to be told. But is this the movie to tell it? I don't think so. The screenplay is bland, the emotional temperature is frequently wrong, and the manipulation is at times too heavy handed. This good story needed a better storyteller.
Scott Huffman (Stan) is a yuppie lawyer working for the Department of Defense. He's cocky and ambitious, but the fact that he has a young son and a pregnant wife doesn't camouflage the fact that he's kind of a jerk. Just as he's about to put the finishing touches on a project he's spent most of the year on, he's given a new assignment. A man named Tulley (Hurt) shows up in his office and asks to upgrade the Silver Cross a fallen airman received in Vietnam to the more prestigious Medal of Honor. Scott doesn't want the job. He's got his own work to do and is busy positioning himself for a massive promotion. His boss (Whitford) tells him to go through the motions and pass it off to someone else (or bury it, which is the same thing). So he conducts interviews just to show that he's attempting to do something. But the more he finds out about the soldier, William Pitsenbarger, aka "Pits" (Irvine), the more he wants to do the man justice, and the more respect he has for the sacrifices Pits and his fellow soldiers made.
The problem with this film is not that it is manipulative. Movies are by nature manipulative. They are designed to convey certain emotions to the viewers, be it suspense or sadness. But it must be earned. It requires a deft hand that eludes writer/director Todd Robinson. Tonally, the film is all over the map. There are some one-liners in a movie that wants to move us while more than a few scenes are overwrought. The screenplay is also underwritten, with some scenes being needlessly verbose while others being confusing.
Yet I cannot deny that there are moments that did move me. That success comes from the cast, which includes the likes of Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, Samual L. Jackson, William Hurt, Bradley Whitford, Ed Harris, Diane Ladd, Jeremy Irvine, Michael Imperioli, Linus Roache, the late great Peter Fonda (in his final performance), Amy Madigan, John Savage, Robert Pine and Lisa Gay Hamilton. This great cast was obviously drawn to a great story and they give it their all. In fact, most of the moments that do land are more for their acting abilities rather than the efforts of Robinson. Sebastian Stan is the lead is present in every scene. He's solid, but he is unfortunately saddled with a flat character. Scott is just a jerk in a suit who grows a heart and a conscience. Special mention must go to William Hurt and especially Christopher Plummer, each of whom have a number of standout scenes.
But the one who stands out for me the most is Jeremy Irvine. Despite working for and with some of the best talent in the business (Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Sam Reid), Irvine has never particularly impressed me with his acting ability. Let me rephrase. I've never seen him in a part that I think he was used very well. There's always been talent and presence there, but it hasn't been molded by a director correctly (yes, even Spielberg is guilty of this). That all changes here. Truth be told, Irvine doesn't have a lot to do or say in this movie. Pits appears solely in flashback. Yet, Irvine manages to use everything he has to communicate real warmth and strength. The battle scenes are harrowing and chaotic, but Irvine conveys a real sense of peace and hope. When the men talk about him as if he were an angel, I believed it. But this isn't hero worship and Pits never seems to good to be true. I don't know how Irvine does it, and I don't think he could tell me if I asked him. But he does it. Irvine is the real heart of the story.
So the movie doesn't quite work. And I feel a little ashamed to admit it. But there has to be a divide between the subject and the movie. Pits is worthy of regard, but the movie is not.
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