Last Flag Flying appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The image fared nicely.
Overall sharpness seemed positive. The occasional low-light shot veered a little soft, but the majority of the flick showed appropriate clarity and accuracy.
The movie lacked shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes remained absent. No print flaws cropped up here.
Like many modern movies, Flag brought a palette heavy on teal along with some yellow and amber. The hues looked fine given these choices.
Blacks were deep and tight, while shadows bright nice smoothness overall. I thought the transfer satisfied.
With a strong character emphasis, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 lacked much ambition. It came with minimal score and effects tended toward general environmental information. That meant decent atmosphere on roads or in rain but not much stood out as involving.
Audio quality appeared positive, with speech that seemed natural and concise. As noted, music didn’t provide much information, but the instances of score appeared clear and well-rendered.
The same went for the fairly minimal use of effects. These seemed accurate and without distortion, but they sure didn’t tax my system. This wound up as a competent soundtrack.
We get a smattering of extras here, and these start with a featurette called An Unexpected Journey. It runs 15 minutes, 48 seconds and involves co-writer/director Richard Linklater, executive producer Thomas Lee Wright, novelist/co-writer Daryl Ponicsan, editor Sandra Adair, and actors Laurence Fishburne, Steve Carell, J. Quinton Johnson, and Bryan Cranston.
“Journey” looks at the source and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and performances, and Linklater’s impact on the production. This doesn’t become a deep view of the shoot, but it adds some good details.
A collection of Outtakes fills nine minutes, 11 seconds. It shows a pretty standard set of goofs and giggles, one that lasts way too long to seem interesting.
Three Deleted Scenes occupy a total of five minutes, 38 seconds. We find “Dress Blues” (1:27), “Limo Ride” (1:52) and “Extended Bar Scene” (2:19).
“Blues” ruins a surprise during the climax, so I’m glad it got the boot. The other two give Sal more screentime, which he doesn’t really need, so they made sense as cuts, too.
Finally, Veteran’s Day lasts five minutes, 41 seconds and features Cranston, Linklater, Fishburne, production designer Bruce Curtis, producer Ginger Sledge, key makeup artist Sharyn Cordice, head of security Sean Biagini, military advisor James Bane, and actors Bill Stalnaker, Tammy Tsai, Yul Vasquez and Cathy O’Dell. They reflect on the significance of shooting on Veteran’s Day in this honorable piece.
The disc opens with ads for The Big Sick, Manchester By the Sea, The Wall and The Only Living Boy in New York. No trailer for Flag appears here.
Due to the efforts of a good cast, Last Flag Flying turns into a largely engaging drama. It can sputter at times but the actors still keep us with it. The Blu-ray brings solid visuals along with acceptable audio and a handful of supplements. Though not a great film, Flag warrants a look.