2019 spent so much time hanging out in WWI and WWII, it was almost a relief to see a film set in Vietnam; we haven’t been there for a bit … and just look at the people we can pretend were scarred by it: Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Christopher Plummer, Diane Ladd, John Savage, William Hurt; heck, you arrange those guys in the 1990s and you’re remaking A Bridge Too Far.
The Last Full Measure feels like a movie fighting a battle without an opposition. While that may seem an odd assessment of a war film, I’m not backing off. The film is about awarding the Medal of Honor to real life hero William Pitsenbarger (Jeremy Irvine), an Air Force Pararescueman who pararescued scores of wounded soldiers in Vietnam before buying the rice paddy farm. As far as anyone can tell, his heroism went well beyond standard and no one feels like this guy didn’t earn the MoH. So why did it take thirty-two years for the late soldier to receive his award? Well, after seeing the film, I’d still kinda like to know the answer.
This is the kind of film that gets veterans all up-in-arms for no reason, seeking to rally against the forces who would deny a rightful hero his posthumous moment. The problem is that literally describes nobody. This is a strawman in film form. I’m as pacifistic as they come and think there are few greater evils in the world than the concept of modern nationalism … yet I will willingly, happily, enthusiastically stand and salute those who sacrifice their lives for that concept.
Pentagon up-and-comer Scott Huffman (Sebastian Stan) is tasked with this case in 1998, decades after Pitsenbarger’s death. Prompted by Pitsenbarger’s old chopper pal (Hurt) and his parents (Plummer, Lane), Huffman has to piece together why everybody thinks Pitsenbarger deserved the MoH, but still doesn’t have one. So we get to meet several of the burnouts Pitsenbarger saved mostly from the fate of having as ridiculous a surname as “Pitsenbarger.” This is the best part of the film, of course, where Sam Jackson and Peter Fonda get to relive their Nam, standoffishly, of course; you FNGs haven’t earned the truth, whatever that is. And yet, plot-wise, these stories are both fairly irrelevant and misleading. Nobody denies the heroics; for some reason, what happened on the battlefield isn’t a great mystery, but how the paperwork got swallowed up by the Viet Cong is.
I’m not sure Sebastian Stan was ideal for this role. I think he tries to meet the semi-audacious reverence of a younger Mark Ruffalo and falls shy. This is a film that requires us to both condemn the war yet honor the warriors at the same time; it’s a bit of a tightrope walk; Stan isn’t bad, but doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would sacrifice his career in a moment of indignation in order to achieve the right result. But then, why was it necessary to do so? Who are you really fighting, there, Huffman? And why are the guys interested in getting Pitsenbarger the MoH so hostile? How could whatever happened possibly make a difference thirty-two years later?
None of the details of the “cover up” are relative to the era in which The Last Full Measure takes place, hence, I feel like all the non-war drama is fabricated. As for the war footage … have you ever see one of those war-film-in-a-film movies in which the actor sells the valor like he’s getting a commission? That is exactly what I think of Jeremy Irvine in this role. I can buy the guys he’s rescuing as grunts, but it was hard to take this Pitsenbarger as anything other than an actor playing a hero. So, basically, this is a sweet, teary-eyed war memoir in which the controversy has been exaggerated and the two most important roles have been miscast. It should appeal to veterans and perhaps that is all that is necessary.
In Nam, one man’s valor proved long
Withholding his medal seemed wrong
But vets without clout
Know what fighting is about
Opposing the abundant anti-hero throng
Rated R, 116 Minutes
Director: Todd Robinson
Writer: Todd Robinson
Genre: Everybody’s favorite war
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Veterans
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Whomever was genuinely opposed to William Pitsenbarger receiving a Medal of Honor, if such a person does indeed exist
