The Giant Killer

• Directed by David Yuzuk
• November 10, 2017 (US)

The true story of the smallest Green Beret soldier ever that became a war hero whose post war life and death are a mystery. A true story so bonkers it sounds fake but it’s not!

I follow multiple movie groups on social media in part to discover films that I might otherwise not hear of. Such as The Giant Killer about Richard J. Flaherty whose story and the discovery thereof sounds like something conceived in Hollywood but it’s all real life. Flaherty was a homeless man a police officer learned was a decorated Vietnam War soldier as well as the shortest man to ever serve in the US Army. And that doesn’t even begin to cover the real interesting parts of his life. The genuinely inexplicable ones.

This film painted a sympathetic and even sometimes tragic picture of a man scarred by war and by life. But it is also about how he touched the lives of others in small ways and the mysteries of his existence that he left behind. Such as how a man living on the streets managed to rack up an interesting list of destinations on his passport.

Director David Yuzuk traces Flaherty’s emotional path as best as possible and it is utterly devastating. Not one but two women he loved died tragically. A man with a strong need to prove himself, Flaherty found his place in the military but was pushed out when Vietnam ended. With no place left and nothing to anchor him he became lost.

And there are twists and turns in his life. The most surprising of which is about the man despite being homeless and with no obvious source of income traveled quite extensively. He would only offer cryptic phrases to those that inquired when questions arose. And it fit with his generally unusual character such as when he pointed a gun at a man just to get a reaction. Amazingly (and perhaps a tribute to Flaherty) the gentlemen had no ill will towards Flaherty.

Flaherty was a very colorful individual. Described by some here as short in stature but a big man. He was a decorated soldier and intelligent. He touched lives but could never get the normal life that he wanted.

By the end of this you will really feel for the man. You will be intrigued by him. David Yuzuk makes Flaherty someone you wish you could have met. It communicates the complexity and the outlandish reality of his life and how someone who truly was one of the most interesting people in the world came to such a mundane if not tragic end. 

To my knowledge The Giant Killer is only available on Tubi and YouTube. It’s an interesting story that I think you should all take a look at.