The Last Full Measure (2020)

The Last Full Measure feels like it is having an identity crisis. It seems to want to do one thing but really it wants to do something else and the two don't necessarily jive. This is based on a true story about the campaign to posthumously award a medal of honor to a fallen solider from the Vietnam war. The story involves a plot piece that he was not awarded the medal due to some embarrassment on behalf of people higher up the food chain who wanted the incident swept under the rug, something harder to do if he had won the medal. But the film glosses over that in its attempt to be something else.

Instead of pursuing that drama, the film presents us with a parade of his compatriots, all of whom are suffering (but alive) in the wake of their service. It is PTSD after PTSD. Also the soldier's still living parents, who are as saintly as humanly possible, are showcased. Once again the film had a chance to explore the way the actions of those sending these men into war have scarred them but once again the film chooses a different path.

As the film reaches its climax it is clear the only point to this film is to achieve the medal ceremony for the fallen man for his great sacrifice (the meaning of the title) and those men who served along side him so that there can be a standing ovation and tearful celebration of all who serve. This is a lovely moment for sure but it ignores the essential part of the story. Why they were there in the first place and how the ultimate cost was not proportionate to the goal. The film turns it back on it's subject by romanticizing the death without looking in to the why.  Like so many of these narratives, "serving our country" is just assumed without any evidence to show that the country was actually served. Because if we went there the loss of these lives would be too much to bear.

But it is this story, this cliched, sentimental story which highlights this betrayal. Because there is an element of injustice and that element has been overlooked. The film doesn't do its subject anymore justice than his country did. And that's a shame.

Sometimes performances in a film are way better than the film itself and this is a perfect example. Plummer as the soldier's father is as remarkable as he always is. Samuel L. Jackson is one of the greatest working actors alive which he demonstrates when he's not going his stereotypical Jackson routine. This film is an opportunity for him to truly shine and he does. But he's not alone. Hurt, Fonda and others are all strong. I kept feeling the tragedy of all these great actors doing a great job in such a poorly executed film.

This is a real missed opportunity. It ends up being just a typical gloss over an important story.

The Last Full Measure
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, Diane Ladd, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, Bradley Witford, Jeremy Irvine
Writer/Director: Todd Robinson