The Last Detail (DVD)

The Last Detail is a cult 1973 film directed by Hal Ashby from a screenplay by Robert Towne. The film revolves around two US Navy Sailors, Billy Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and "Mule" Mulhall (Otis Young), who are ordered to escort kleptomaniac sailor Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid) by bus and train to a bleak Naval prison for attempting to steal $40 from his base's polio charity - which just happened to be the Commandant's wife's favorite good cause. Buddusky and Mulhall intend to deliver Meadows as quickly as possible and grab some time in New York but, during the long, dull journey, the pair start to feel sorry for the timid and unworldly young Meadows and become ...  Read the complete review

When people speak of Jack Nicholson and his supreme acting ability, they so often draw attention to his performances in The Shining, Chinatown, Batman and most prominently, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but rarely do they mention his little known drama The Last Detail, a fascinating film directed by Hal Ashby. The film tells the tale of two U.S. Navy Sailors (Jack Nicholson and Otis Young) who are charged with transporting a young sailor (Randy Quaid) to Portsmouth Naval Prison. The young, unassuming kid has been sentenced to eight years for simply trying to steal $40 from the Commandant's wife's favorite charity, and as such seems like a hugely ...  Read the complete review

A sailor is being sent to prison for 8 yrs for stealing money from a charity box. (highly unlikely even if the admirals wife did support the charity) 2 more sailors who are in transit/transients are told to escort him across country to prison. (again, unlikely. Military police would do this, they would have their own transport and would be allowed access other military transports to take him across country so he would be flown on the 1st available plane to where ever he was going). They are issued sidearms and rounds (again, very unlikely. the prisoner has not been violent, not committed a violent crime. just a misdemeanor). By the time the arrested sailor is ...  Read the complete review

The Last Detail is about Jack Nicholson and Otis Young who play two naval officers who are charged with bringing the young Randy Quaid to a military prison. What follws is a road movie as they take the young boy across country. They start to get to know him and they evntually befriend him - they take him to his mothers - get him laid and get him drunk. Nicholson totally steals the show in this film. It was good and suitably downbeat, without being melodramatic. Randy Quaid was great as the Navy new boy being sent to prison for stealing 40 dollars, what happened to his career after this impressive start? I enjoyed Being There, so I thought I would try out this other ...  Read the complete review