MOVIE TITLE: The Last Rifleman

This lovely film is now streaming exclusively on Angel.com and the Angel app

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 35 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

The film is based on a true story of a World War II Veteran’s journey back to Normandy, France. I had the great privilege of visiting Normandy for the first time a couple of years ago. It’s an extremely powerful place. I blubbered like a baby.

Last year, my twin sister, who is a Nurse Practitioner, had the experience of a lifetime by accompanying some veterans to Normandy for the 80^th anniversary. She was in complete awe how everyone treated the veterans as if they were royalty. The French people were so grateful and respectful. She said even the young children swarmed around the vets, asking for autographs and pictures. That just warms my heart. That “Greatest Generation” definitely deserves our praise and admiration. Kudos to Delta Airlines for paying for all of them. We only have a few of those Normandy vets remaining.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

We see a dead paratrooper hanging from a tree.
Lots of firearms and other weapons are used.
Battle scenes of WWII are represented.
Some idiot teenagers bully an old man. To contrast, we see a young man treat the same old man with kindness.

THEMES:

World War II
Aging heroes
Honoring the soldiers who fought and died
Brotherhood among soldiers
Determination
Closure
Diabetes
The kindness of strangers
Death of a loved one

THINGS I LIKED:

Wow! We’ve never seen the handsome Pierce Brosnan look this old before! Of course, he has a lot of makeup on because he’s aging quite well in real life. He filmed this movie when he was only 70. The older I get, the younger 70 sounds to me. The man he played was 92 years old (and ¾ he reminds us) when he escaped the nursing home to go on his adventure! I thought Pierce Brosnan did an excellent job.
The story was inspired by Bernard Jordan, a British WWII veteran who slipped out of his nursing home to travel to Normandy to be a part of the 70^th D-Day landings. He wore his war medals on his jacket, traveling by bus and ferry at the age of 92! He said he was going to do it again in 2015, but he died peacefully that year before the anniversary.
It’s heartbreaking to see Pierce Brosnan’s character feeding his wife with Alzheimer’s. I did that with my mother many times. She often didn’t recognize me but was always super sweet.
This was John Amos’ last role before passing in August 2024.
This was the second time Juergen Prochnow has sung “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” in a movie! The first time was when he was in “Das Boot”! https://amzn.to/3QzNQ0k
John Amos did a great job teaching us about the Black soldiers who fought in the battle at Normandy.
Keep watching during the final rolling credits to see what happened next.
Awww, man. That last song and ending scene in the airplane hangar brought me to tears.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The movie is a slow burn. For some, it will be too slow.
There isn’t much humor to balance out the somber sadness.

FUNNY LINES:

None. This is a serious drama.

INTERESTING LINES:

“It doesn’t matter what age we are, we all have our expiry date.” – lady on the train
“Bloody Germans!” – Artie (Pierce Brosnan) “They were soldiers, just like you.” – Juliette Bellamy (Clemence Poesy)
“It’s a shock to learn you’ve lost the war. It’s a greater shock to discover you’ve been on the wrong side.” – German soldier played by Juergen Prochnow
“None of us can ever forget, but maybe we can forgive.” – German soldier played by Juergen Prochnow
“That’s the thing about folks like us Artie: we’re all living with ghosts.” – Lincoln Jefferson (John Amos)