I am not sure anyone ever knows what they are going to get from a new Richard Linklater film but one rarely expects malaise in his filmmaking. From Dazed to Confused to Boyhood, his films tend to have a real heartbeat to them as well as ambition. Last Flag Flying, his newest and an adaptation of Darryl Ponicsan's novel.
Some have said the film is connected to Hal Ashby and Ponicsan's 1973 war film The Last Detail. That film followed three vets and so does Last Flag Flying. Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne play members of the same Vietnam squad who have since grown apart. Life has taken the men in different directions. Carrell's Doc Shepherd went to jail as a result of something that happened in Nam and is now seeking his old friends' help to bury his dead son, who died serving in Iraq. Crantson's Sal is a drunken bar owner who's abrasive nature hasn't changed much since the war. Fishburne's Mueller has grown the most as he has gone from being the most violent man in the company to now being a reverend.
The film follows a standard road trip structure as the men go to pick up Doc's son and transport his body back home to be buried. In theory, this should provide a loose structure for Linklater to work his penchant for wonderful conversations. However, these characters are such archetypes that nothing feels as natural as say his characters from the Before series. Instead we get commentary on the military and society's treatment of returning soldiers shoved awkwardly into the dialogue. The commentary feels neutered in a way. This is where Last Flag Flying could have been daring and original and instead it feels like an afterthought or even worse, lazy. We also get a barrage of Dad jokes that feel so far away from the usually clever dialogue found in Linklater's films.
There isn't much going on in Last Flag Flying in terms of plot. This is usual for a Linklater film. Guys chatting is kind of his thing and yet so little here feels natural or well-directed. I am not sure if it's due to Ponicsan's script or if the actors never found a rhythm but either way it is a shame to see such talent fall so flat. I don't want to put all the blame on Ponicsan but he is the collaborator here with the shortest track record. The film's score is also mis-matched here, hitting every emotional cue in the book.
In short, Last Flag Flying feels like the biggest misstep Linklater has taken in his career, The Newton Boys included. Perhaps it is an issue with the way in which Ponicsan's story and the director's sensibilities fail to match, but little worked for me in the film. The trio of actors are all good in small moments but their characters never feel like the lived-in, natural characters that populate most Linklater films. On the plus side, Linklater is likely to try something new with his next film. Here's to waiting for that.
In short, Last Flag Flying feels like the biggest misstep Linklater has taken in his career, The Newton Boys included. Perhaps it is an issue with the way in which Ponicsan's story and the director's sensibilities fail to match, but little worked for me in the film. The trio of actors are all good in small moments but their characters never feel like the lived-in, natural characters that populate most Linklater films. On the plus side, Linklater is likely to try something new with his next film. Here's to waiting for that.
2.5/5
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