proud_luddite Two U.S. Navy petty officers (Jack Nicholson and Otis Young) must escort a young sailor (Randy Quaid) from Virginia to Maine where he must begin an eight-year prison sentence in a military prison for a petty crime. With stopovers in four big cities along the way, the officers want to show the prisoner some fun before his sentence. As this was the 1970s, a good time was had by all........at least until the party had to end.At the time of release, this movie was controversial for its profanity - language that would unlikely raise an eyelash by today's terms except for occasional sexist and homophobic remarks. There is also an attitude of women being objects of pursuit rather than as people with their own desires and pursuits. This attitude would be very typical in many films that would follow. But these wannabe copycats miss out on the heart and courage of "The Last Detail" thus showing their inferiority to a true original. Copying only the smut, without the soul, is a copout.Despite their rough ways, the officers show a genuine concern for the sailor as they know better than he does the fate that awaits him with cruel Marine prison guards. The courage of the film shows in its open criticism of its nation's military though this was more a reflection of its time - an attitude that would be dismissed decades later as "unpatriotic". It is best reflected in a scene in which a young, power-groping officer is in a position of authority that is beyond his years and competence.The pacing by director Hal Ashby is smooth and leaves viewers feeling like we are part of the multi-day party as well as the melancholy that precedes and follows the journey. Whether the guys visit various bars, a chanting spiritual group, a party, or a bordello, the interiors are believably low-key; they would probably have been more superficially flashy in a higher-budget film.The ending is also low-key compared to the events that precede it but we can feel the frustration and sadness of the characters.Final praise must go to the trio of actors who work very well together. Nicholson conveys so much with just a smirk or a muttered comment; Young is the perfect anchor for the group; Quaid is totally believable as someone too naïve and innocent for the world that surrounds him.And a bonus within this grand experience: a cameo role played by Gilda Radner before she became a major star.OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Directing by Hal Ashby

lasttimeisaw Shoving injustice right in its audience's face, Hal Ashby's THE LAST DETAIL is an ethos-reflecting, profanity-riddled road trip of the titular detail - Navy signalman Buddusky (Nicholson) and seaman Mulhall (Young) are assigned to escort a young offender Meadows (Quaid) from Norfolk, Virginia to Portsmouth Naval Prison near Maine - that conveys hearty commiserations to the downtrodden and expresses remonstrance to the powers that be. An 18-year-old Meadows is unfairly subjected to a draconian 8-year sentence and dishonorable discharge for pilfering (in vain) 40 dollars, but Badass" Buddusky and "Mull" Mulhall can do nothing to rescind the penalty, since they are self-professed Navy "lifers", what they can actually do, is to show Meadows a good time before he is cooped up, and Robert Towne's scintillating script doesn't mince words of Meadows' bleak prospect in the brig, for a callow and innocuous boy like him, he will never pull through his pending trials and tribulations as the same person. A lofty but ponderous Randy Quaid superbly telegraphs Meadows' congenial naiveté in his Oscar-nominated coup de foudre for Actor in a Supporting Role (though fairly speaking, the triad should have shared an even-steven co-leading designation), and transubstantiates it to a force of unaffected pull that absolutely evokes compassion from even the most callous heart.The trio's hijinks entail the usual suspects of benders and attempts of making whoopee (the latter is underwent through an incredible Nichiren chant hookup and concluded with an altruistic gesture to put the kibosh on Meadow's virginity in a house of ill repute), and more thoughtful arrangements including a visit to Meadow's mother, whose non-appearance and the empty house quietly but pungently speak volumes of Meadow's ill-bred backstory, plus a wintry barbecue as Meadows' last request, where he executes his first and final crack of running away, then the ending expunges all the prior camaraderie to a terse farewell, no words, no looking back, Meadows is manhandled to a future shrouded by masculine turpitude, just like that and Ashby steely disobliges audience's anticipation of a sentimental halfway house, presents the red-tape asperity in its stead, Navy or Marine, they are all cut from the same rotten cloth. Nicholson chalks up Cannes' BEST ACTOR laurel and parlays it into an Oscar nomination with his cynical ebullience and biting disillusion that encapsulates the signs of its times, concealing his profound distress that an innocent spirit is going to be snuffed and the damning incapacitating feeling that he can do nothing about it. Otis Young, also gives a thoroughly credible job as the contrarian-turned-sympathizer with a more reserved and practical make-up, provides a sober perspective from the sidelines (often tallies with the camera arrangements centering a barnstorming Nicholson). When the snare drum rolls in the end, one wonders what does "last" stands for in its title, apparently it doesn't mean "final" because both men have no alternative but return to the military service, yet as a cinematic travelogue cogently and frankly registers America's ennui and angst in the post-Vietnam War era, "least suitable" might find more grounds in its context.

smatysia Jack Nicholson in his early heyday. Four years after Easy Rider, and two years before One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He carries the film, as intended. Otis Young was good here, as well as a young Randy Quaid. Interesting casting as Quaid towers over Nicholson and film composition usually frowned on that. Nice turn put in by Carol Kane in a small part. Pretty good photography of the wintry Northeast, and unobtrusive direction. Apparently this movie was packaged as a comedy at one time, but I found nothing funny about it. Seems like every aspect of the tale was basically tragic. Pretty decent film, overall. A lot of profanity, which was sort of the style in the early Seventies.

Scott44 I enjoyed ElMaruecan82's summary ("Where have all the 'Hal Ashby's gone, goddammit...", ElMaruecan82 from France, 6 June 2012). Also, kwalsh2-1 points out the connection between Nicholson's Buddusky and the father that Meadows doesn't know (kwalsh2-1, "Father Figure", 3 March 2006)."The Last Detail," sneaks up on the viewer. It is a fairly realistic, 1973 Hal Ashby, seemingly low-budget film depicting two Navy petty officers (Jack Nicholson and Otis Young as Buddusky and Mulhall respectively) giving a crash course in manhood to the young sailor (Randy Quaid as Meadows) they are escorting to a military brig.Jack Nicholson makes the picture enjoyable by inhabiting the bullying, childish, cocky, profane and ultimately endearing Navy "lifer" with glee. (Nicholson turned down "The Sting" for this.) Nicholson obviously has a flair for portraying corrupt, manic characters; he is in fine form here.Randy Quaid and Otis Young are both good as the prisoner and Chief Petty Officer respectively. However, real surprises come later when we meet Carol Kane as the prostitute who rocks Meadows's world. I really like their brief screen time together; it seems authentic (or so I'm told). Michael Moriarty is also quite good as the ball-busting Marine O.D. who appears at the end.Look out for Gilda Radner as a Nichiren Shoshu member. Also, observe how in 1973 a man can fire up a cigar anywhere--there is no place too public for Nicholson's ever-present Cuban.Visually, Hal Ashby is good despite being very detached. Other than the final shot, not many images seem to have even been planned in advance. (Note the plane taking off in the final image--is the plane "the last detail"?) The only aspect of "The Last Detail" that I did not like is the ironically patriotic sound track. The sound track is too heavy handed. Otherwise, The Last Detail is a movie about life in the lower rungs of military service that should not be missed.