THE LAST FULL MEASURE (2019)

Thirty-four years after his death, Airman William H. Pitsenbarger, Jr. ("Pits") is awarded the nation's highest military honour, for his actions on the battlefield.

War is one one of those genres of film that is difficult to get wrong. When it involves life and death situations, the stakes are always high, and nearly every person has been indoctrinated to some level with patriotism and nationalism. As long as the audience get a suitable introduction to the characters, there is instant tension and suspense as they are put through dangerous situations. That is what holds back The Last Full Measure. 

The film has two main objectives; to bring to light the bravery of William H. Pitsenbarger Jr., and to remind the audience of the cost of war and the poor treatment of war veterans. Despite the first objective being the main story thread of the film, it suffers from poor execution due to the non-linear structure. Unlike more straightforward dramatizations of the Vietnam War (like Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan, Full Metal Jacket, We Were Soldiers, or Platoon), The Last Full Measure has a storyline in the modern day, but frequently interrupts the narrative with flashbacks to battle scenes from the war. While this is an effective way to reduce budgetary needs, it stifles the action-packed sections of film.

We are introduced to our protagonists thirty years after the events that the battle that the film is teaching us about, and the characters are identified not by who there were then, but by the effects of their PTSD afterwards. A flawed direction to take, as we cannot fully comprehend the changes that a person has undergone unless the audience are properly introduced to them beforehand. As it stands, we have irritable and disturbed elderly men not wanting to add to the narrative, until they finally do, at which point the audience are launched into a short shaky cam action scene with a mish mash of cannon fodder and explosions with very little context. It simply prevents the audience from being able to connect with any of the characters.

What the film does do well, is capture the global mood around wars, through the proxy of Sebastian Stan's character Scott Huffman. Huffman has the role of a government agent that has no interest in dealing with researching a dead soldiers war efforts. A fictional character that may have been based on a late historian (Parker Hayes) who wrote a biography about Pitsenbarger for a museum, Huffman slowly reveals the story as the film progresses, as well as uncovering an unfounded government conspiracy.

There is a reason why most war films are linear and take place in the moment, rather than through flashbacks. There is so much power to be found in the isolation and constant gunfire of a war scene; the emotional strength is difficult to beat. What is easy to beat, is listening to a character retell a war story as he sits on the side of a river bank. At that point you have already told the audience who survives, all tension is released, and interest is lost. Going against the usual formula may make the film more unique, but the non-linear structure makes it difficult to build an emotional connection with any of the characters, and reduces the impact of what is meant to be the focal point of the film, all for the purpose of introducing a conspiracy subplot, that is unverified and brings in an unnecessary antagonist.

The Last Full Measure has a great ensemble cast, with Sebastian Stan, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Plummer, William Hurt, Ed Harris, and Peter Fonda. And while it is nice to have Samuel L. Jackson in a more serious role (that doesn't require explicit language), the dialogue is very clichéd and ham-fisted. 

A slow burn of a film, there are some interesting and powerful scenes, but it the potential that Airman William H. Pitsenbarger, Jr.'s story is not fully utilized by Todd Robinson's direction nor scripting. Still, there is a lot to enjoy in the story itself, and it's a valid reminder to look after and honour the veterans that have risked their lives to preserve our way of life. But such a wasted opportunity.

The Last Full Measure is in cinemas from May 28, 2020

BURDEN (2018)

An orphan raised within the Ku Klux Klan is persuaded to leave by his girlfriend. When the Klan seeks him out for vengeance, a black congregation led by a benevolent reverend take him, his girlfriend and her son in.

Finally getting a wiser release after premiering at the Sundance Festival back in January 2018, Burden is the feature-length film debut for Andrew Heckler, who also penned the script for this film based on a true story. 

A story about racial bigotry and white supremacy, this is one of those racism-related films that is flooding the market at the moment (The Banker, American Son, Just Mercy, The Best of Enemies, Harriet, The Hate U Give, Green Book, BLACKkKLANSMAN, If Beale Street Could Talk, to name a few). Sadly, this is one of those racism-related films that doesn’t quite strike the right chord.

The film is created under the guise of a white racist bigot learning humility and understanding that you cannot judge a person’s character by the colour of their skin, alongside the sub-story of a black pastor that helps this other man dividing the black community by his actions. The former part of the synopsis is not fully realised, however, and when you read up on the real story or read through interviews, you further lose confidence in the transformation being fed to us. While the latter half does occur, the plot threads do not go anywhere. 

Despite casting Usher and Forest Whitaker, their arcs are not concluded in a satisfying manner. Despite many black characters being introduced, none of the arcs reach any sense of resolution, as it forces the audience to try and empathise with this KKK leader; to humanize his role.

Burden starts off brilliantly. Intentionally vague, it introduces our main character. A man who appears to work hard, has a kind heart and an appreciation for family. But all is not as it seems. The set designs and colour palette create an organically warm, nostalgic, and comfortable setting. Set in the Deep South of Laurens, South Carolina, the environment is set up really well. It’s a convincing setup, and primes the audience to empathise with our main character, Mike Burden (Garrett Hedland).

While the acting performances are well done and the environments look good, Burden struggles with its script and direction. With so much focus on humanizing and justifying the behaviour of Mike, it dehumanizes the victims, persecuting the community for a second time. The character development is minimal, with attempts made to showcase the positive and negative attitudes of both black and white communities, but failing to show the grey within each person. Every character outside of Mike Burden is either categorically good or categorically bad, with no consequences to any of their actions as they are swiftly ditched from the script when their “moment” is done. 

The film drops the main arc between the pastor and the museum, in favour of elevating the “transformation” of Mike Burden. His redemption is, however, unconvincing and feels unearned. His motivations do not feel genuine or consistent, with his sudden change in personality and goals stemming from his connection with a white woman. This could very well be the story of a conman, who is willing to burn anyone in order to gain the favour of whatever family he thinks will benefit him the most. 

The script simply lacks any sense of depth to the characterization that would make this more substantial. Every interesting turn of events is swiftly ignored. How will this attack affect the community? How does this event affect the person on an emotional level? How do the pacifists deal with the ever growing group of potential activists? None of these deeper questions are explored. Everything is only skin deep, an adaptation of a glance from someone that didn’t care enough to find out more.

The cinematography is fine. Nothing spectacular, but thanks to the script it creates a very inconsistent pacing with a directionless story. A similar story to one that we have all seen many times before, and the inability of Andrew Heckler to properly explore the story, leads to a film that is surprisingly bereft of emotion. None of the blame can be placed on the actors, who all do a brilliant job with the material they were provided. Garrett Hedland was fully absorbed in the role, from his speech style to his manner of movement, Forest Whitaker and Usher also working really well with the content they were given. But Burden was from the wrong perspective. A focus on the romantic arc eroded any positive messages that could have come from the story, instead attempts to relabel a group of violent and hateful bigots as misunderstood. 

Visually, Burden looks good, but it doesn’t have the substance to hook you in like the story should.

Burden is in cinemas from June 4th, 2020