The Last Full Measure

It’s perfectly acceptable to admire the true-life courage and sacrifice of William Pitsenbarger while still denouncing The Last Full Measure, the movie that shares his story with the world.

This military biopic is an earnest tribute to war heroes who might be unjustly overlooked or forgotten with time. It benefits from a first-rate cast, yet is more noteworthy for its heartfelt intention than its uneven execution.

Pitsenbarger (Jeremy Irvine) was a U.S. Air Force pararescue medic stationed in Vietnam during a particularly bloody battle in 1966. Bypassing the chance to escape, he instead rescued dozens of wounded troops before paying the ultimate price.

The film begins in 1999 in Washington, where Huffman (Sebastian Stan) is a promising young Pentagon staffer given what he believes to be a thankless assignment — investigating a plea by a Vietnam veteran (William Hurt) to grant him a Medal of Honor more than three decades later.

He explains to Pitsenbarger’s ailing father (Christopher Plummer) that the chances are remote as he indulges them with some due diligence including interviews with some battlefield colleagues. “Getting that medal for Pits might be the only decent thing I can pull out of that war,” laments an ex-soldier (Samuel L. Jackson) still haunted by guilt.

Eventually, Huffman’s perception is swayed, and he puts his own career on the line to push through the request.

Some anecdotes in the screenplay by director Todd Robinson (Phantom) are more powerful than others. However, the venerable performers (including Ed Harris and the late Peter Fonda) add a level of poignancy, showing how lingering psychological wounds from combat can be more damaging than physical ones.

The harrowing Vietnam flashbacks illustrate the chaos and camaraderie along the front lines. They’re meant to provide context or justification, but don’t lend much conviction or urgency to Huffman’s more contemporary conflict. As he becomes an advocate for the cause, you share his passion and frustration, even if the outrage over the process sometimes feels more forced than genuine.

Standards are necessary with regard to Medal of Honor recipients, yet common-sense recognition for the bravery of fallen soldiers shouldn’t be subject to such bureaucratic obstacles, political wrangling, or callous indifference.

In The Last Full Measure, such a worthwhile message is obscured by the heavy-handed and predictable delivery. At least it gives Pitsenbarger a deserving posthumous spotlight.

Rated R, 115 minutes.