Last Flag Flying had me at “Written and Directed by Richard Linklater.” Any movie the director comes out with I will eagerly anticipate. Linklater achieves a rare feat by directing, in my opinion, Three. Perfect. Movies. Last Flag Flying is unfortunately the director’s most flawed film in a long time. That being said, it is still a Richard Linklater film, so it will be an engrossing experience watching people talk and contemplate their place in the cosmos; this time, specifically, when it comes to soldiers at war.
Sal (Bryan Cranston) was once a decorated soldier, but now, he’s an unmotivated bar owner basically decaying away. That changes for Sal when his Vietnam war vet friend “Doc” (Steve Carell) pops into Sal’s bar. The two reminisce for a bit, where Doc reveals he wants Sal to accompany him to Doc’s son’s funeral (Doc’s son was a US soldier serving in Iraq). Before they go to the funeral, the pair go to a church where their previously crazy fellow marine Richard (Laurence Fishburne) has become the minister. The three then resuscitate their friendship as they take the long journey to Washington to help Doc bury his son.
This movie is right in Richard Linklater’s wheelhouse: road trip with 3 people walking and talking. Usually Linklater is using fresh faces for his roles, but in Last Flag Flying, he’s tapped 3 Hollywood talents in Fishburne, Carell, and Cranston. Each does a really good job in their roles: Cranston can play the hot mess character easily, Fishburne nails the most complex character, and Carell gives as nuanced a performance I have seen him give as the quiet but opinionated Doc. The three do a really good job playing off each other, usually with Doc in a tug of war with Sal and Richard. What the 3 do best is make you believe they were friends at some point: their banter can get heated at times, but it always comes from a place of mutual respect, since they clearly know which buttons not to push. At times, Linklater writes himself a nice setup for a scene (usually involving 2003 technology, which is when the movie is set), but the scenes go nowhere and just kind of stop and move on. As a result, the movie leaves you a little colder than a normal Linklater film, but the actors’ charisma and writer/director’s talents shine through more times than not to make Last Flag Flying a worthwhile experience.
Probably because of the movie’s nuanced discussion of soldiers. When Hollywood movies portray soldiers (until very recently), they are usually about their heroism (see: American Sniper) or their belief in a cause (see: Saving Private Ryan). In Last Flag Flying, the 3 Vietnam Vets have more complex feelings. When generals push talking points from the administration onto the friends, they push back in jaded speech. After their service, and how they were treated post war, they clearly have no love for what the leader thinks is a just war. The scenes where Sal dresses down a general pack the most punch, because that behavior is so unexpected from a Marine that you see the underlings puzzlingly try to grasp why a vet would act in such a manner. Their time together and bond they develop they see as more of a representation of what they are actually fighting for. As such, the 3 develop a nice relationship with your everyday soldiers on the ground, specifically Washington (J. Quinton Johnson), who knew Doc’s son and what happened when he died. America as a country is still getting there, but seeing a well thought out position toward our military gives Last Flag Flying credit and depth that can be lacking when the guys aren’t talking about their soldier days.
Even though Last Flag Flying will be an afterthought in Richard Linklater’s resume, perhaps it could also be a turning point. The director is usually too casual to be political, but maybe this movie gave him a platform to let out some other things the guy is thinking about when he’s not making a movie. Maybe we’ll see Jesse and Celine arguing about Trump in the next Before movie….