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The Last Detail

1973

Hal Ashby

Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James ...

6.7

1,718

Comedy. Drama After being convicted of petty thievery, a young sailor finds himself in the care of two escorts assigned to take him to military prison. But the journey turns out to be more leisurely than expected, with several side trips and extracurricular activities thrown in for good measure. As they travel, the three exchange confidences and become friends. By the time they have reached their destination, everyone has been changed permanently by the experience. [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Variety Staff Variety	"A salty, bawdy, hilarious and very touching story (...) Jack Nicholson is outstanding at the head of a superb cast."
		Vikram Murthi IndieWire	"There’s a deep sense of melancholy and finality that runs through The Last Detail even when it’s at its funniest, not just because of Meadows’ fate, but because of Buddusky and Mulhall’s collective guilt"
		Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune	"As these three rowdies carouse, bond and then break apart, Towne and Ashby give us an indelible portrait of the moral chaos and bitterness of the Vietnam years, true to the last detail"
		Vincent Canby The New York Times	"'The Last Detail' is one superbly funny, uproariously intelligent performance, plus two others that are very, very good"
		Pauline Kael The New Yorker	"The film is distinguished by the fine performances of Nicholson and Quaid, and by remarkably well-orchestrated profane dialogue. It's often very funny. It's programmed to wrench your heart"
		Chuck Bowen Slant	"'The Last Detail' is so perfectly tailored to the star that it could’ve been mapped out from a Pythagorean theorem."
		TV Guide	"'The Last Detail' is a gritty look at the military life and the people who are attracted to it"

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