Last Flag Flying
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Last Flag Flying

Poster for Last Flag Flying

Academy Award nominees Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne are reunited Vietnam War veterans in this comedy drama from Richard Linklater (Boyhood). A sequel to Hal Ashby's The Last Detail from 1972. More

In 2003, 30 years after they served together in the Vietnam War, former Navy Corps medic Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Carell) re-unites with ex-Marine Sal Nealon (Cranston) and Reverend Richard Mueller (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 memories of the war that continues to shape their lives.

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2017Rating: M, Offensive language & sexual references124 minsUSA
ComedyDrama
Director:
Richard Linklater ('Boyhood', 'A Scanner Darkly', 'Fast Food Nation')
Writer:
Darryl PonicsanRichard Linklater
Cast:
Bryan CranstonSteve CarellLaurence FishburneYul VazquezCicely TysonJ. Quinton JohnsonRichard RobichauxLee Harrington

Streaming (3 Providers)

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Last Flag Flying | Reviews

77%220 reviews

Rotten Tomatoes® Score

All reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Flicks, Aaron Yap

Flicks, Aaron Yap

Last Flag Flying is at once burdened and enriched by the past. Richard Linklater’s film sets itself a tall order, attempting to evoke the “spirit” of The Last Detail, Hal Ashby’s gritty jewel of ‘70s American cinema. Not only is The Last Detail among Ashby’s best-loved films, but also a key work in the Vietnam War-disillusioned “New Hollywood” movement and home to one of Jack Nicholson’s most spellbinding performances. It’s like following up Chinatown years later with The Two Jakes: there’s merit in the endeavour but the result generally plays like a faint echo of what once was.

Full review
Vulture

Vulture

The movie is so laden it's hard to endure. But worth it.

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Variety

Variety

The central reason that "Last Flag Flying" fails to take wing is that its characters don't ring true. Not really. You never feel, in your bones, that you're watching battle-scarred veterans.

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Time Out

Time Out

It's a major film pitched just above a whisper.

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The New York Times

The New York Times

Even if "Last Flag Flying" isn't quite persuasive, it is nonetheless enormously thought-provoking, and its roughness is a sign of how earnestly it grapples with matters that other movies about war prefer not to think about.

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Sydney Morning Herald

Sydney Morning Herald

Yet another Linklater hangout movie, with minimal plot and maximum room for anti-establishment rhetoric and reflections on the passage of time.

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Stuff

Stuff

An understated gem and a fabulous showcase for a triumvirate of American acting titans.

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Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert

Richard Linklater's intimate drama about three old friends and military funeral gives the A-list trio of Cranston, Carell and Fishburne a chance to shine.

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Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

It's a sharp critique of American bluster, but also a sincere and funny valentine to everyday American life.

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Hollywood Reporter

Hollywood Reporter

The weave of sombre introspection, rueful reminiscence, irreverent comedy and sociopolitical commentary feels effortful, placing the movie among the less memorable entries in Linklater's canon.

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Last Flag Flying | Release Details

Last Flag Flying is available to stream in New Zealand now on Google Play and Apple TV and Neon Rentals.

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