Sebastian Stan (left) and William Hurt in a scene from “The Last Full Measure.” (Foresight Unlimited)

Sebastian Stan (left) and William Hurt in a scene from “The Last Full Measure.” (Foresight Unlimited)

A truly exceptional cast uplifts ‘The Last Full Measure’

A roster of ace actors, including the late Peter Fonda, do strong work in this Vietnam-themed drama.

William Pitsenbarger died on April 11, 1966, in a jungle firefight not far from Saigon. A member of a helicopter rescue team, he elected to stay on the ground and help the unit trapped there.

Pitsenbarger was recommended for the Medal of Honor, but was awarded a lesser decoration instead. That oversight bothered his fellow soldiers enough that they agitated for the next 30 years to get him due recognition.

This little-known story is highlighted in “The Last Full Measure,” a workmanlike but ultimately effective film. Much of the movie is fictionalized, but its message of heroism and perseverance is intact — and it gathers a group of fine actors in potent supporting roles.

The film opens in 1999, with a Pentagon careerist named Scott Huffman who would prefer to ignore the Medal of Honor petition from Pitsenbarger’s old Air Force buddy (William Hurt). Huffman is played by Sebastian Stan, the sad sack who always brings down the party as the Winter Soldier in the Marvel movies.

This is good casting, because we don’t especially like Huffman, at least for a while. His D.C. mentor (Bradley Whitford, late of “Get Out”) tells him to ditch the case, but when Huffman meets with Pitsenbarger’s devoted parents (Christopher Plummer and Diane Ladd), he gradually gets into it.

Vietnam flashbacks are strewn throughout the movie, a tactic that has mixed results. It’s hard to track what Pitsenbarger is actually doing during the battle, and the action tends to be repetitive.

More successful are Huffman’s meetings with the men who survived the battle. They’re played by Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, Peter Fonda and John Savage (he’s the damaged soul from “The Deer Hunter,” here playing a veteran so haunted by Vietnam that he’s returned to live there).

That’s a pretty impressive cast. And they’re not phoning it in; we see strong work from this group, with Hurt gradually revealing the extent of his character’s damage, and Harris doing his usual precise job of exploring grief and trauma.

Most memorable of all is Fonda, who died last year. His character is especially shell-shocked, and comes out of his house only at night. Amy Madigan plays his fiercely protective wife, who keeps Huffman at bay until after dark.

Writer-director Todd Robinson doesn’t do anything fancy, and at first the film comes on with all the distinction of a TV commercial. A few good lines raise the movie above its formula, as when Huffman consoles a veteran for feeling survivor’s guilt: “Surviving isn’t a crime,” Huffman says. “No, it ain’t,” comes the response. “It’s a life sentence.”

The movie isn’t interested in the big picture, and (beyond puzzling hints about an official cover-up), it doesn’t go into reasons for the war itself. The point here is to highlight a piece of presumed military injustice, and as far as it goes, the case is convincingly made.

“The Last Full Measure” (2½ stars)

Although fictionalized, this is a true story about the effort to get a Medal of Honor for William Pitsenbarger, who died in battle in Vietnam in 1966. The movie is workmanlike, but a strong supporting cast (including William Hurt, Ed Harris and Peter Fonda) makes it effective.

Rating: R, for language, violence

Opening Friday: Alderwood Mall, Everett Stadium, Meridian, Thornton Place, Cascade Mall

Talk to us

More in Life

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives are slated to perfom June 13 at Edmonds Center for the Arts. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Country star Marty Stuart and his band, the Fabulous Superlatives, are performing in Edmonds on June 13.

People begin parading down First Street with a giant balloon “PRIDE” during Snohomish’s inaugural Pride celebration on Saturday, June 3, 2023, in downtown Snohomish, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Your guide to Pride in Snohomish County

Mark your calendars; Pride Month is upon us.

Twin sisters Lyndsay Lamb (left) and Leslie Davis (right), co-hosts of HGTV's Unsellable Houses. (Photo provided)
Meet and greet HGTV’s ‘Unsellable Houses’ twin sister stars in Snohomish on Friday

Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis have made Lamb & Co. a #twinwin home-selling, home-goods brand.

Bern’s famous clock tower, part of the original wall around the city, looms at the head of Marktgasse street.
Rick Steves’ Europe: Bern, Switzerland’s classy yet fun capital

This easygoing riverside city gives travelers a good reason. to descend from the Swiss Alps.

Teaching children the value of money in a digital age

Today’s increasingly cashless society makes it harder for kids to understand money.

2023 Lexus 500 AWD F Sport (Lexus)
2023 Lexus 500 AWD F Sport

Truly a driver’s car, the LS 500 benefits from an adaptive variable suspension with balanced spring and damper rates.

Michelle LeFevre and her Bernese mountain dog Kona sit in the shade in front of Kona’s Pond outside their home Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Camano, Washington. LeFevre, a retired teacher, wrote the children’s book “On Kona’s Pond” which centers on her pup and the other creatures that call the pond home. LeFevre’s sister, Susan Cousineau McGough, illustrated the book with watercolor renditions of Kona and the pond. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Life ain’t so ruff ‘On Kona’s Pond’

A retired Camano Island teacher’s new children’s book, “On Kona’s Pond,” tells the story of her dog and his wild friends.

Icelandair changed her flights. Can she get a refund for her tour?

When Icelandair changes Patricia Boyle’s flights from Baltimore to Washington Dulles International Airport, she asks for a refund from her tour operator, Icelandair Holidays. So, why isn’t it responding?

Peonies and irises in full bloom in Steve’s yard. (Steve Smith)
June is the perfect time to peruse perennials and get them planted

Penstemons, echinaceas, rudbeckias, euphorbias, crocosmias, astilbes, hostas and so on and so forth — the choices seem to be endless.

Most Read