The Last Full Measure

Second review I 24 hours being off work sick has its advantages!! I saw the low review point on this but watched it anyway because of the cast, it nearly has a better cast than the Irishman !!!! I'm not American ... I did not serve in Vietnam nor do I know anyone that served in that war as some keyboard warrior reviews seem hung up on. I enjoyed a well written well acted movie and I'm not ashamed to say I sat here and cried for the last 10 mins, not something I do for movies I think ET in the cinema was the last time. This movie slowly wrapped its storyline around my heart, gripped me till the end and and didn't disappoint. Disregard the low ratings and rants from wannabe movie critics this is a movie to enjoy and cherish every moment of they don't make them like this too often and when they do movies like this have a habit of falling between the same cracks spoken in the movie. Enjoy it for what it is, a journey for more than one person including the viewer.

As a US Air Force Veteran who served in classified Intel overseas, I did not serve in-country Vietnam. I was at the cusp of the War, referred to as a Vietnam War Era Veteran. I have had friends and colleagues who did serve. We never discussed it. I respect that. If THEY wanted to talk about it, that was different. But, the rule of thumb among most Military Veterans was not (is not) to ask.

Until this movie, I was unaware of the Pitsenberger story. It is common for such movies to stir my emotions, deeply. This one surely did. The ugliness and senselessness of war, especially this war, were telegraphed across the screen with intensity. Yet, the spirit and compassion of Pitsenberger reveals a young man who was full of heart; and, love for others.

Again, as an Air Force Veteran, I feel honored to have learned about Airman Pitsenberger, superbly represented by Jeremy Irvine. The movie ended exactly as I had hoped it would. The cast of characters includes some of the best actors in the theater profession. Kudos!

The title of this movie derives from something Abe Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address all those years ago, "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion."

The event in question happened in Vietnam in 1966, 21-yr-old Airman William H. Pitsenbarger, Jr., a medic, decided on his own to scramble down into the fray upon realizing the unit's medic was the one wounded. He had been recommended for the Medal of Honor but it never went through, we learn because the paperwork routing went awry. It was eventually awarded on December 8th, 2000 during the Presidency of Bill Clinton.

Several really good veteran actors are the the roles of men who fought with Pitsenbarger, plus during the end credits we see and hear from several of the actual men who were involved during the 1960s.

Good movie, I watched it at home on DVD from my public library, my wife skipped. Maybe 20% of the movie is recreated battle scenes, the rest in modern (1990s) times during the search to find out what happened and what needed to be done to get the award finalized.

Politicians start the wars and our children die in them. A movie about values, bravery, tragedy and a man struggling to do the right thing. No "buzz" about this movies but certainly worth every minute n tear.

Whilst it takes an annoyingly generic and familiar approach to it's incredible true story, The Last Full Measure is still a really good fact based drama that's emotional and engaging. Sebastian Stan gives a great lead performance and Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris and William Hurt all give amazing supporting performances. Todd Robinson's direction is really good and the war scenes are effectively intense and harrowing. The music by Philip Klein is good.