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The Last Detail

Play trailer Poster for The Last Detail R Released Dec 12, 1973 1h 45m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
87% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
When sailor Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid) is sentenced to eight years in a New Hampshire prison, Navy lifers Billy Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and Mule Mulhall (Otis Young) are assigned to escort him there from Virginia. Along the way, they warm up to their prisoner, indulging him in small ways such as making excursions to a brothel, and to his mother's house. As they get closer to their destination, their fondness for Larry makes it harder for them to execute their orders.
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The Last Detail

The Last Detail

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Critics Consensus

Very profane, very funny, very '70s: Director Hal Ashby lets Jack Nicholson and the cast run loose, creating a unique dramedy that's far out to sea.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael New Yorker This picture sounds realistically profane and has a dark, grainy surface, and by Hollywood standards, it's strong, adult material, but the mechanism is a vise for our emotions -- the mechanism is schlock. Sep 21, 2023 Full Review Judith Crist New York Magazine/Vulture Add immaculate casting, a noteworthy debut for cinematographer Michael Chapman, and a spare and subtle score by Johnny Mandel, and you're left with a gem of a film. Oct 2, 2019 Full Review Anton Bitel Little White Lies Meadows' 1st beer(s), 1st joint, 1st sexual experience, 1st attempt at assertiveness... represent not just a concentrated and expedited coming-of-age narrative, but also an elegy for a nation's broader loss of innocence in its military excursions. Feb 27, 2017 Full Review Noah Gittell Washington City Paper It’s the essence of New Hollywood filmmaking, which broke down our myths and revealed in their place a world of everyday losers who looked so much like ourselves that we couldn’t turn away. Aug 15, 2024 Full Review Ian Kane Epoch Times “The Last Detail” is a sometimes funny, sometimes bittersweet drama that features believable characters and situations. Rated: 4/5 Aug 28, 2023 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Neither melancholy nor glitzy enough to warrant the similar cult following of several other Ashby titles, it's a beautiful portrait of barely contained despair trapped in the escapist values of a road trip going nowhere. Rated: 4/5 Oct 9, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 out of 5 stars 09/10/24 Full Review Chinu D Its a really good movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/25/24 Full Review Bahad j This idea of ​​the film shooting technique director made the film more attractive to people. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/03/24 Full Review Bulgantamir B never bored while watching Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/03/24 Full Review Бавуу Э When sailor Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid) is sentenced to eight years in a New Hampshire prison, Navy lifers Billy Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and Mule Mulhall (Otis Young) are assigned to escort him there from Virginia. Along the way, they warm up to their prisoner, indulging him in small ways such as making excursions to a brothel, and to his mother's house. As they get closer to their destination, their fondness for Larry makes it harder for them to execute their orders. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/02/24 Full Review Audience Member This movie was actually fantastic, everyone should watch this asap. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/02/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Last Detail

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Cast & Crew

California Split 87% 83% California Split Watchlist Stand by Me 92% 94% Stand by Me Watchlist TRAILER for Stand by Me The Big Chill 69% 77% The Big Chill Watchlist TRAILER for The Big Chill Punchline 57% 44% Punchline Watchlist Wrong Is Right 27% 39% Wrong Is Right Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis When sailor Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid) is sentenced to eight years in a New Hampshire prison, Navy lifers Billy Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and Mule Mulhall (Otis Young) are assigned to escort him there from Virginia. Along the way, they warm up to their prisoner, indulging him in small ways such as making excursions to a brothel, and to his mother's house. As they get closer to their destination, their fondness for Larry makes it harder for them to execute their orders.
Director
Hal Ashby
Producer
Gerald Ayres
Screenwriter
Robert Towne
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation, Bright-Persky Associates, Acrobat Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 12, 1973, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Stereo
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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