The Last Detail

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Jim N All of Jack Nicholson's best films were done by 1980: 'Five Easy Pieces', 'Carnal Knowledge', 'Chinatown', 'The Passenger', 'The Shining', and of course his masterpiece 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. The decade of the 1970s was arguably the greatest decade for American cinema, focusing largely on the gritty depiction of real lives, before the commercial conveyor belt of special effects and sci-fi fantasy buckled the industry and made it wholly materialistic. This is a film with a simple story effectively told, and as ever in those days Nicholson is eminently watchable with a zesty devilish charm. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/15/25 Full Review thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, o elenco é bacaninha, e poucos ajudam a melhorar o filme, a história é fraca, os personagens sao fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes para fazer o filme ser bom. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/04/25 Full Review Alain E Instead of a road movie, here we have a railroad movie and I hope Amtrak thanked the filmmaker. Although Nicholson is the best known actor, all three main characters deliver very strong performances. This is a movie of low tones. Two seasoned sailors go on a trip to deliver a convicted clueless young seaman to serve a long sentence. Gradually, the leader played by Nicholson, pities the prisoner and uses the allotted time to allow him to experience many things he will be deprived of for the next eight years. There is pretty accurate depiction of American society during the Nixon years. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/25 Full Review Audience Member Great Nicholson performance. But all so much more of the same. The early ‘70’s Nicholson performances are all very much alike. A snide, foul mouthed, good ole boy. And of course, true to the era and Cuckoos Nest, Jack gets a young man laid as an answer to something. Ashby’s direction is brilliant though. Too bad it all comes out just plain boring. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/25 Full Review Ovidius N Loved it. Nicholson superb. Some laugh out loud moments as well as an underlying poignancy. Will be watching it again. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/08/24 Full Review Wayne K Jack Nicholson has been around so long and left such an incredible legacy on the world of cinema that it’s hard to remember that he was once a plucky up-and-comer, working hard to establish himself with roles in Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces and The Last Detail. In this film, it feels like he was given free range to act out and act up as much as he wanted, and this created the perfect environment for him to play the role of the aptly nicknamed Bad Ass. Much of the film was censored at the time of release, mostly because of the heavy use of curse words, and watching it nowadays reflects just how sensitive they were about it back in the early 70s. It’s a film about male bonding, about maturing in a difficult environment and coming to appreciate and even respect those with who you have seemingly little in common. Baby-faced Randy Quaid is a character you’re supposed to initially dislike because of what he did, but the film gradually reveals his decent nature and optimistic outlook on life, and you come to feel very sorry for him at the end, and the fact he’s separated from the trio so unceremoniously just makes it more painful. It’s Nicholson that really steals the show, displaying the perfect blend of mad, wild-eyed intensity and subtle, brooding sensitivity that came to define his career and make him a screen icon. It’s a film that’s more about the important moments of life than it is about the overall story, and so uncomfortable pauses and awkward encounters are left in so that we get to fully experience what the characters are going through. It’s not held in the same regard as some of Nicholson’s other films, but its one of his most enjoyable roles, and one of the early indicators that he was something special, and that the world should take notice. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/10/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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