By Donna Westfall – September 13, 2020
We rented The Last Full Measure movie with a stellar cast expecting a traditional war movie rated R for war violence and language. Instead, this is unlike any traditional war movie and it surprised us to find tears running down our cheeks.
The synopsis; thirty-four years after his death, Airman William H. Pitsenbarger, Jr. (“Pits”) is awarded the nation’s highest military honor, for his actions on the battlefield. Those starring in this film include but aren’t limited to just this list:
- Bradley Whitford
- William Hurt
- Christopher Plummer
- Diane Ladd
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Peter Fonda
- Ed Harris,
- John Savage
- Sebastian Stan, and
- Jeremy Irvine as “Pits”
The title of this movie derived from something Abe Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address all those years ago, “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion.”
At a time in our country’s history where American’s are fighting and destroying cities, battling law enforcement, tearing down statues, beating up innocent people, and where politicians are worthless to stop it to maintain law and order; this is a movie based on a true story of one man’s sacrifice to save the lives of those under fire during the Vietnam war at the cost of his own. This is definitely the time to have heroes and people to look up to as mentors. Not the angry, out of control mobs of Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
Where are our heroes? Right now I’d have to say they are the fireman battling all the blazes in the Western States.
Back to the movie. Think Hacksaw Ridge, meets Saving Private Ryan without all the gore, but enough. It’s not about the nations, the generals, the mistakes made – it’s about the people. The Last Full Measure is a Drama that happens to be a war movie.
Thank you, Writer/Director – Todd Robinson. I learned a lot about the Medal of Honor from this film which is this. The Medal of Honor is the United States of America’s highest and most-prestigious personal military decoration that may be awarded to recognize U.S. military service members who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor…great courage in the face of danger.
