“Those that have been following the acting career of Steve Carell are most likely aware that he has made attempts to shed his comedic image by taking on dramatic roles, particularly ones that also benefit from his natural timing for humor. However, in Last Flag Flying (the latest film from extremely talented writer and director Richard Linklater) Carell, playing a Vietnam War veteran 30 years removed from the hellacious horrors of war who in December of 2003 must bury his 21-year-old son killed over in Iraq, is fatigued and depressed. For as much screen time as Steve Carell has, the distant Larry (commonly referred to as Doc by friends) has very few lines. Still, every sentence of dialogue resonates, as Carell pulls off a masterful turn that plays to his expressive body language in ways unlike anything the veteran has ever done.”
Last Flag Flying screened at the Chicago International Film Festival.
In 2003, 30 years after they served together in the Vietnam War, former Navy Corps medic Richard “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carell) re-unites with ex-Marines Sal (Bryan Cranston) and Mueller (Laurence Fishburne) on a different type of mission: to bury Doc’s son, a young Marine killed in the Iraq War. Doc decides to forgo burial at Arlington Cemetery and, with the help of his old buddies, takes the casket on a bittersweet trip up the East Coast to his home in suburban New Hampshire. Along the way, Doc, Sal and Mueller reminisce and come to terms with shared experiences of the war that continue to shape their lives. Director Richard Linklater and author Darryl Ponicsan collaborated on the screenplay which follows the trio as they wrestle with the pangs of war both past and present.
Last Flag Flying is set for release on November 3rd in the US.
