It's especially timely that as the war on terror is needlessly ramped up in Afghanistan, a movie like Last Flag Flying comes along to remind us what the costs of war really are. Richard Linklater's film stars Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne, and is a spiritual sequel to the 1973 film, The Last Detail, both based on Darryl Ponsican adaptations. Based on the footage from the debuting trailer, Linklater's knack for humor, humanity, and for getting the best performances from his cast are going to be the film's greatest strengths as it rolls into NYFF as the Opening Night entry.
The film centers on three Vietnam veterans who are reunited 30 years later to honor the death of Carell's son, a soldier killed in the Iraq War. Rather than burying him at Arlington Cemetary, Carell's character, who doesn't understand why his son was sent to Iraq in the first place, decides to forego the ceremony and transport the casket up the east coast on a bittersweet journey to his New Hampshire home.
This looks like it could be a tour de force performance from Carell in a role that a lot of people are going to connect with as getting out of a war footing seems further away than ever for our servicemen and women. With Linklater's direction and the natural chemistry between Carell, Cranston, and Fishburne, Last Flag Flying could be an awards contender when it opens November 3rd.
