Buddy movie flags where it should fly
LAST FLAG FLYING ★★1/2
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, Steve Carell Never fully unfurls
THERE is something slightly amiss about Last Flag Flying, a well-intentioned drama adapted from the 2005 Darryl Ponicsan novel of the same name.
The stumbling block could be that the direction of the usually assured American filmmaker Richard Linklater ( Boyhood) feels uncertain. As a result, the movie becomes a straightforward acting showcase for its three leads — Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston and Laurence Fishburne.
All deliver polished displays, but as a group, cannot lift this tale to the level their combined talents should reach.
The story opens in the US state of Virginia in 2003, where the star trio play Vietnam War veterans who once fought alongside each other in the 1970s.
Estranged for decades for matters best not discussed, these men of (dis)honour are reunited when one of their sons is killed while on active military duty in Iraq. A lengthy road trip to reclaim the body of the young man follows, during which the protagonists banter, bicker and ruefully reminisce.
Cranston’s overbearing bar owner dominates many scenes to the detriment of Carell (the grieving father) and Fishburne (a taciturn preacher).
To be fair, there are moments of genuine poignancy and insight to be found in Last Flag Flying, but too few to lastingly satisfy.