The Last Full Measure is a 'what happens after the war' movie, telling the story of a group of men bent on honoring the airman who died saving their lives back in the Vietnam war. An exploration of PTSD and survivors' guilt, an aging group of retired servicemen bond with each other over this quest, which gives them purpose.
A group of soldiers who were wounded and outnumbered in the Vietnam war push for thirty years to honor the man who saved them all, Air Force pararescue medic William H. Pitsenbarger. Disobeying a direct order, Pitsenbarger (Jeremy Irvine) hopped out of a helicopter to serve as a medic for a group of soldiers, then provided cover fire and gave his life for them so that they could make it out safely.
The aim of these veterans is to see that Pitsenbarger is granted an upgrade to the extremely rare Medal of Honor, which is the highest honor in the military, rather than the Air Force Cross which was already awarded to him posthumously. Even more rare is when the military allows for medals already given to be upgraded. It becomes a race against the clock as Pitsenbarger's ill father (Christopher Plummer) is dying, so that he can see his son properly honored before his own death.
Scott Huffman (Sebastian Stan) is three months away from losing his government job because of the resignation of one of his higher-ups, when this case lands on his desk. With seemingly no hope of pushing this through in his remaining days, he is slowly won over by the many men who were saved by Pitsenbarger and sees a chance for himself to do something heroic and stand up for these veterans.
Writer-director Todd Robinson (Lonely Hearts, White Squall) makes a unique decision to break from the time-honored tradition of showcasing the war scenes, in order to show what life is like for the aging survivors. What his fairly drab writing lacks in scope, or interest, he makes up for in the smaller scenes with strong character portraits and genuine human interactions. For the most part he loses focus of who would normally be the main character of this story: Airman William H. Pitsenbarger, the war hero being honored, He is instead shown in flashback with little depth or exploration.
The backbone of The Last Full Measure rests entirely on the ensemble cast of veteran actors who have proven themselves throughout the years. From overly long monologues to scenes with no dialogue whatsoever, the appeal belongs solely to men as committed to their craft as their characters are to seeing out their mission.
Ultimately, The Last Full Measure is a slow film with scant laughs, to be appreciated in a somber mood. An exploration of heroism from macro to micro, it tells the tales of many men who want to do good deeds, and what they must do to uphold positive feelings in themselves.