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