The Last Full Measure (2020) Roadside Attractions/Drama RT: 110 minutes Rated R (war violence and language) Director: Todd Robinson Screenplay: Todd Robinson Music: Philip Klein Cinematography: Byron Werner Release date: January 24, 2020 (US) Cast: Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Samuel L. Jackson, Dale Dye, Peter Fonda, LisaGay Hamilton, Jeremy Irvine, Diane Ladd, Amy Madigan, Linus Roache, Alison Sudol, John Savage, Bradley Whitford, Julian Adams, Ethan Russell, Zach Roerig, Ser’Darius Blain, James Jagger, Cody Walker, Richard Cawthorne. Box Office: $3.4M (US)
Rating: ***
Although The Last Full Measure takes place primarily in 1999, it still feels like something they would have made in the 80s. It deals with the Vietnam War, a subject that was still a sore point for many in the Reagan decade. Several films were made about that war; jingoistic action flicks (Rambo: First Blood Part II, Missing in Action) and combat dramas (Platoon, Full Metal Jacket) were especially popular. Then there were the ones that dealt with the psychological effects of the war. Birdy, Distant Thunder, Jacknife and In Country immediately spring to mind. Each one deals with what we now know to be PTSD. I would place The Last Full Measure is this subcategory. It’s not exclusively about PTSD or survivor’s guilt; it’s also about heroism and delayed recognition for an act of valor that saved a lot of lives.
Pentagon staffer Scott Huffman (Stan, Captain America: The Winter Soldier), on the verge of losing his cushy job, is tasked with looking into a posthumous medal upgrade request made by retired Sgt. Tulley (Hurt, The Big Chill) on behalf of William Pitsenbarger (Irvine, War Horse), a USAF pararescueman who literally jumps into the middle of one of the war’s bloodiest battles- i.e. Operation Abilene- to help evacuate wounded Army men. He made the ultimate sacrifice in exchange for saving the lives of over 60 soldiers, his life.
Although Pitsenbarger was recommended for the Medal of Honor, it was downgraded to the Air Force Cross by military brass for unknown reasons. The Last Full Measure centers on Huffman’s investigation into Pitsenbarger’s action that fateful day in ’66. Initially, he plans to just go through the motions until he can hand the assignment off to somebody else. Besides, medal upgrades were unheard of at the time. Naturally, he has a change of heart after growing a conscience, the result of speaking with Pitsenbarger’s elderly parents, terminally ill Frank (Plummer, Knives Out) and Alice (Ladd, Wild at Heart), as well as some of the vets- Takoda (Jackson, Pulp Fiction), Ray (Harris, Apollo 13) and Jimmy (Fonda, Easy Rider)- still walking this mortal coil thanks to Pitsenbarger’s selfless act.
The Last Full Measure, which takes its title from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (“from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they give the last full measure of devotion”), doesn’t really bring anything new to the table in terms of post-Vietnam War drama. We’re all well aware of the psychological effects the war had on our fighting men. Thankfully, writer-director Todd Robinson (Lonely Hearts) chooses to train his focus elsewhere. That, of course, would be the quest for the MOH, one that went on for 34 years. Based on true events, it’s a compelling story. But where’s the sense of outrage? Pitsenbarger clearly deserved the MOH, but it was delayed by higher-ups for political reasons. There’s a mild undercurrent of anger flowing beneath the surface, but it really should have been front and center. Robinson’s emotional restraint weakens an otherwise good movie.
Personally, I think the flashback scenes would have more effective as a single set-piece rather than interspersed throughout the narrative. It would give the audience a better idea of the hell the soldiers went through fighting that battle. In bits and parts, it just feels repetitive. HOWEVER, it’s in these moments that we see some truly fine acting. It’s great to see veteran actors at work. Fonda, in his final role before his death last year, tops the list as Jimmy, a vet so severely damaged by his experiences that he sleeps during the day because he’s afraid of the night. In his waking hours, he’s paranoid and angry. Fonda strikes just the right balance between stoicism and madness, always referring to Huffman as “sir” and keeping a loaded rifle close at hand because “an unloaded gun is just a stick”. His final performance reminds us how truly great an actor he was. Plummer is also terrific as the elder Pitsenbarger, a man whose days are numbered adding a time element to the mission at hand. Amy Madigan (Places in the Heart), as Jimmy’s protective wife, has a powerful scene where she lets Huffman know in no uncertain terms that she sees right through him. The weak link, unfortunately, is Stan as Huffman. He doesn’t give a bad performance per se; it’s merely underwhelming. A stronger lead actor would have compensated for the all-too-familiar character arc.
The movie’s other weakness is not fleshing out Pitsenbarger as a character. We only see him in heroic terms. The only indication he was human is when his father tells Huffman about his son before he went off to war. There’s also some business about a letter to his fiancee he gave to Ray shortly before being killed. Ray could never bring himself to deliver it. This plot element actually has some emotional value. Still, it would have been nice if Robinson allowed us to get to know Pitsenbarger as a person as well as a savior.
Overall, The Last Full Measure is a damn good movie. It tells a real-life story worth hearing. To be honest, it’s the first I’ve heard of it. The movie held my interest throughout. It also makes me wonder how many heroes like Pitsenbarger have yet to be acknowledged for their actions.
