A reunion and a road trip set the dramatic comedy "Last Flag Flying" in motion, and its feel-real conversations keep you buckled in tight for the ride.
Doc (Steve Carell), Sal (Bryan Cranston) and Mueller (Laurence Fishburne) are old Marine Corps buddies from Vietnam who haven't seen each other in decades. Sal doesn't even recognize Doc at first when he quietly orders a beer at Sal's dingy Norfolk bar.
The men lost touch after an incident that left Doc in the brig and pushed Sal, who was always a big talker, even further into drink. But now it's 2003 and, thanks to this new thing called the internet, Doc tracked his old pal down.
Turns out Mueller lives not far away, and while he was once a gambler and carouser, he's now a man of the cloth with a wife, children and grandkids. Once the three are together, Doc, a widower, explains that his son, also a Marine, was just killed in Iraq. He'd like his old comrades to ride with him to pick up the body in Delaware and then return with him to New Hampshire.
Their journey is like a collection of sharp theater pieces. There are hints toward a cavalcade of hijinks, but the few mishaps, like being mistaken for terrorists, are underplayed. Experimental director Richard Linklater ("Boyhood," the "Before" trilogy) is more interested in just hangin' out.
This is a quasi-sequel to the outstanding 1970s foul-mouthed film "The Last Detail," which features one of Jack Nicholson's all-time best performances. Cranston doesn't mimic Nicholson, but is a remarkable echo. He has the same devilish grin and distaste for authority.
The trio, and younger servicemen they meet along the way, maintain a fascinating love/hate relationship with their uniform. They despise war and aspects of the chain of command, but show a devotion to the Corps that seems, at times, at odds with their dissatisfaction.
The star of the film, really, is the talk. All the actors rise to the occasion. No matter how obnoxious Sal gets or how sanctimonious Mueller seems, the pair ends each of their parries with smiles, and they were for Doc when things get rough. This a mature film about the irrational nature of both taking pride and finding grievance in duty. That may sound comedy-resistant, but when run up the flagpole you may find yourself saluting it.
