Review of The Last Detail (1973) by Jennifer A — 19 Jan 2007
[b]The Last Detail - 6.5/10[/b].
Director - Hal Ashby.
Starring - Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid, Otis Young, Carol Kane, Clifton James, Michael Moriarity.
Considered by many one of the unsung gems of the 1970's, [i]The Last Detail [/i]stars Jack Nicholson and Otis Young as two Navy lifers chosen to escort one young sailor (Randy Quaid) to Military Prison. The two lifers have one week to do so (and money to boot) and Nicholson's character takes a liking to the young sailor and convinces Young to show him a good time along the way.
The film itself for the most part captures the decadence of the seventies very well. It reminded be a bit of Midnight Cowboy in that regard, but I think both films are slightly overrated. Buddusky (Nicholson) is nicknamed badass, and this role helped to cement Nicholson's persona. The language, for it's time, is very blunt and realistic. No cleaning up the sailor talk here. However not everything in the film works. A few of the situations the three sailors find themselves in seem a bit farfetched, and Nicholson (who I did enjoy in this film) totally dominates the other two main characters, which doesn't necessarily help the story unfold. Still an interesting look back at a fascinating time in our history.
This review of The Last Detail (1973) was written by Jennifer A on 19 Jan 2007.
The Last Detail has generally received very positive reviews.
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