Part of 1973
Two naval officers — “Bad-Ass” Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and “Mule” Mulhall (Otis Young) –– are assigned to escort a young seaman from their Virginia base to the Portsmouth Naval Prison in Maine. Taking pity on the downtrodden boy whose only crime was pilfering forty bucks from an admiral’s wife’s charity, the pair decides to treat the brig-bound grunt to a good time. New Hollywood mainstay Robert Towne penned the infamously profanity-laden script for the exceptional cast to chew through like Buddusky’s saliva-soaked stogie. Hal Ashby’s bittersweet direction, which he honed in previous efforts HAROLD AND MAUDE and THE LANDLORD, and his knack for genius casting ensure the trio’s road trip through ‘70s America is populated with an interesting array of characters played by the likes of Carol Kane, Michael Moriarty, Nancy Allen, Clifton James, and even Gilda Radner in a bit part.
“A long-haired, pot-smoking, hippie of the 1970s counterculture, [director Hal] Ashby does not deliver the simple broadside against the military that might be expected, but something far more nuanced, full of real sympathy for the flawed individuals who fight for their country (or for other reasons).” —Anton Bitel, Little White Lies
“Released at the tail-end of the Vietnam War and the beginning of the Watergate scandal, THE LAST DETAIL is filled with disillusionment, as Americans were facing a world in which they could no longer trust the institutions they once revered…. It's a fascinatingly layered comedy, one whose befuddlement at the human condition reflected the frustration of an entire nation. It's one of the great, unheralded masterpieces of the 1970's, subtly defining the decade with a wry, knowing smile.” —Mattie Lucas, From the Front Row