Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

proud_luddite Two U.S. Navy petty officers (Jack Nicholson and Otis Young) must escort a young sailor (Randy Quaid) from Virginia to Maine where he must begin an eight-year prison sentence in a military prison for a petty crime. With stopovers in four big cities along the way, the officers want to show the prisoner some fun before his sentence. As this was the 1970s, a good time was had by all........at least until the party had to end.At the time of release, this movie was controversial for its profanity - language that would unlikely raise an eyelash by today's terms except for occasional sexist and homophobic remarks. There is also an attitude of women being objects of pursuit rather than as people with their own desires and pursuits. This attitude would be very typical in many films that would follow. But these wannabe copycats miss out on the heart and courage of "The Last Detail" thus showing their inferiority to a true original. Copying only the smut, without the soul, is a copout.Despite their rough ways, the officers show a genuine concern for the sailor as they know better than he does the fate that awaits him with cruel Marine prison guards. The courage of the film shows in its open criticism of its nation's military though this was more a reflection of its time - an attitude that would be dismissed decades later as "unpatriotic". It is best reflected in a scene in which a young, power-groping officer is in a position of authority that is beyond his years and competence.The pacing by director Hal Ashby is smooth and leaves viewers feeling like we are part of the multi-day party as well as the melancholy that precedes and follows the journey. Whether the guys visit various bars, a chanting spiritual group, a party, or a bordello, the interiors are believably low-key; they would probably have been more superficially flashy in a higher-budget film.The ending is also low-key compared to the events that precede it but we can feel the frustration and sadness of the characters.Final praise must go to the trio of actors who work very well together. Nicholson conveys so much with just a smirk or a muttered comment; Young is the perfect anchor for the group; Quaid is totally believable as someone too naïve and innocent for the world that surrounds him.And a bonus within this grand experience: a cameo role played by Gilda Radner before she became a major star.OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Directing by Hal Ashby

Hitchcoc I was so hard to watch this movie. It is a simple story. A young sailor makes a stupid mistake. Because of petty theft, he is court-martialed and sent to prison for eight years. Two petty officers have the duty of bringing him to meet his fate. Randy Quaid is the sad young man who is bewildered and defenseless. We know that he will not do well in prison. So these guys do everything to try to make his last days of freedom memorable. They get him into a fight, get him drunk, and biting him to a whorehouse where they set him up with a prostitute. He is a fish out of water so what these guys are doing is pretty foreign to him. But these guys are heroes and are showing love the best way they can. The nice thing is that we get to see Nicholson on the road to greatness.

adonis98-743-186503 Two Navy men are ordered to bring a young offender to prison but decide to show him one last good time along the way. Starring Jack Nicholson and a young and scary Randy Quaid before he went insane now is this movie that deserves a 7.6? No does it have anything memorable? Well not really except Nicholson kicking the crap out of Quaid and a girls boobs that's about it. Honestly it's kinda boring and there where a lot of times that i wanted to stop the film and put it back on the box but i kept watching it because of Jack Nicholson other than that the film does have some nice performances and it keeps up during the ending but other than that it was an OK movie nothing more. I give it a 7 out of 10.

John Brooks In one word: this is MASCULINE. Manly, virile. This is a man's film, in everything that's wrong with that, and everything that's fine with that. A couple of more seasoned marines have to escort this young delinquent, who's really a nice young 'fellar' but with issues, to some prison. Along the way, they develop a liking for each other and form a group of pals. Jack Nicholson is a slightly unbalanced person himself as depicted multiple times, and the adventures pile up with these three tearing it up in the open spaces, from fun with alcohol and other pleasures of life, to fights or coming across some of the more particular places in town. It's a fun ride, the acting is very good and captivating, the story lets itself be told and all in all this is quite entertaining. Although this is the sort of film that will never add a second layer to itself, and is really event-based and nothing beyond that, it's exactly what it wants to be and does it well. All the way up til the end does this film stay true to itself.