Last Flag Flying, now entering its second week in Chicago theaters, reminds me of Neil Young’s 1990 album Ragged Glory. It’s a rough, but casual, meditation on American themes, made with relaxed, subtle mastery. If the film feels a bit underwhelming on first encounter, I suspect it will gain from repeat viewings—it’s full of subtle characterizations and charming grace notes, and these things can become more resonant once they’re more familiar. Last Flag mostly plays out in relaxed scenes where the primary characters bullshit and catch up; director Richard Linklater (who cowrote the script with Darryl Ponicsan, on whose novel the film is based) isn’t interested in telling a story so much as studying these men, and he gives them plenty of opportunities to reflect on their pasts, express their current beliefs, and learn from each other. The insights are buoyed by ingratiating good humor, the characters often telling jokes or cracking wise. The humor is nicely integrated into the movie—you’re always laughing with the characters, never at them.
Last Flag takes Mueller’s faith seriously and is respectful toward the characters’ service history. Sal, Larry, and Mueller may regret some of the things they did in Vietnam, but on the whole they appreciate having been part of the marines, and the filmmakers respect that sense of honor. Yet both the characters and filmmakers express cynicism toward the actions of the U.S. government, which sent marines to die in Vietnam and Iraq when, as Larry states at one point, neither country was a direct threat to the United States. When the three men reach Larry’s son’s body in Delaware, they learn from another soldier from the young man’s troop that he didn’t die in battle, as Larry was originally informed, but that he was shot by an armed robber while off duty. Larry, disgusted about having been lied to, refuses to bury his son at Arlington National Cemetery (where the government wants to bury him), opting to take him back to his hometown instead. This decision prolongs his journey with Sal and Mueller, but it gives the men more time to bond, which clearly benefits the grieving Larry.
