The Last Men (2023)

 

            “The Last Men” is a French/Belgium production. It was directed by Jacques Perrin (“The 317th Platoon”).  It is set in WWII Indochina in March, 1945. The Japanese have launched a brutal offensive that targets French bases. Many French soldiers were killed. A small unit at an outpost decides they need to evacuate. They will go through enemy lines to try to reach a base. They are led by Adjutant Janicki (Andrzej Chyra). He butts heads with a malcontent named Lemiotte (Guido Caprino). Lemiotte is the stereotypical insubordinate narcissist you find in “Lost Patrol” movies. The journey is something of an odyssey and not all the men will survive.

            The movie whittles the group down. Some die from encounters with Japanese soldiers. Some commit suicide. Most of men will not make it. As they hump through the jungle, there is dysfunction mainly between Janicki and Lemiotte. Janicki is a good leader who insists on doing things humanely. He believes it is better to die with honor than to abandon your principles just to survive.  Lemiotte is the kind of guy who wants to leave wounded behind. He urges survival at all costs. The others are torn between the two philosophies. Lemiotte is unrepentant and does not get the usual redemption arc. Although Lemiotte has challenged Janicki the whole time, when he gets captured Janicki insists on saving him. A good man is lost in the rescue, so the movie makes you wonder if Janicki made the right decision.

            “The Last Men” is a solid behind the lines, who will survive? movie. I bears some resemblance to Perrin’s “317^th Platoon”. They are set in the same area and both involve a group making its way through the jungle. “The Last Men” is more melodramatic with its dysfunction. The body count is predictable, but the deaths are a variety. The encounters with the Japanese are well-staged. The cinematography is hand-held by cameramen who are embeded with the unit. The acting is above average with Caprino and Chyra making good adversaries. The movie gets better as it goes along and builds to a satisfying, if depressing, ending.

            “The Last Men” is set in a theater that is rarely covered in war movies. But the plot is not rare. Lost patrol movies are common. This one manages to be fresh and thought-provoking.

GRADE  =  B+