Review – Last Flag Flying
No director understands the human condition better than Richard Linklater. He understands what makes us who we are. He knows that it isn’t always these dramatic, life changing events, but smaller moments that really make us who we are. Whether it’s a chance encounter with a stranger on a train, a high school night out with friends, or the first weekend of college, Linklater knows how to portray these moments.
Last Flag Flying is another film where Linklater looks at a specific moment in life and the people involved. It is a wonderful look at friendship, loss, and the forever bond of brotherhood.
Thirty years after they served together in Vietnam, a former Navy Corpsman Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carrell) re-unites with his old buddies, former Marines Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) and Reverend Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne), to bury his son, a young Marine killed in the Iraq War.
One of the true testaments of Linklater as a director is the performances in his films. From unknowns to Oscar winners, Linklater always gets authentic, layered performances from his actors and that couldn’t be truer than in this film. Each character has a unique personality and each actor brings something special to their character. Cranston makes Sal a larger-than-life character. He is a man who lights up a room as soon as he walks in. Sal can push the boundaries of fun and obnoxious sometimes, but who doesn’t have a friend like that? Cranston adds a level of sincerity to Sal, giving us a character that would always double-back for a friend, even though it doesn’t seem it through all of his cursing and brash behavior.
Same goes with Reverend Richard Mueller. Fishburne’s character is like a recovered alcoholic who grabs a cup thinking it’s tea and it ends up being whiskey. He’s a reformed man who’s past unexpectedly comes back into his life and so do some of his old habits. Mueller acts as the counter to Sal. Where as Sal is loud and boisterous, Mueller is a quieter religious man who thinks before he speaks. Like Sal, though, he will help out a friend in need and that friend Doc.
Steve Carrell gives the best performance in the movie as Doc, though you might not think so upon initial viewing. Cranston and Fishburne give showier, louder performances, but it is Carrell who is the emotional center of the film and the one who carries the film. Doc is a quiet, broken man who has lived a tough life. After a troubled military life, his wife passed away and now his son has died in a war the three men deem pointless. What did his son die for? Is he an actual hero or just another body? Should he be buried in Arlington National Cemetery or at the family plot next to his mother? These burning questions eat at Doc while he decides what is best for his son. Carrell wears his emotions on his face and in his shoulders. You can see that Sal and Mueller are all that Doc has left in this world and the love he has for these men, regardless of their history. You can see his eyes light up when he hears a story about his son. This is arguably Carrell’s best work as a dramatic actor as it required him to do a lot with so little. It is one of the best performances of the year.
Linklater has crafted a wonderful buddy road movie. The chemistry between the actors is seemless, as we learn about their past and current lives. With exquisite dialog, Linklater makes the film funny and sweet, yet emotional and thought-provoking. There is a great commentary about America and war and what it means to be a soldier and why we fight. And, as usual with Linklater, the film ends on an emotionally charged, pitch perfect note that ties the whole movie together.
Last Flag Flying is a great movie about friendship. Led by a trio of masterful performances and Linklater’s authentic dialog and expert direction, this is an American road movie that will make you laugh, cry, and move you in every way possible.
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