Alicia I love this movie so much

Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

lasttimeisaw Shoving injustice right in its audience's face, Hal Ashby's THE LAST DETAIL is an ethos-reflecting, profanity-riddled road trip of the titular detail - Navy signalman Buddusky (Nicholson) and seaman Mulhall (Young) are assigned to escort a young offender Meadows (Quaid) from Norfolk, Virginia to Portsmouth Naval Prison near Maine - that conveys hearty commiserations to the downtrodden and expresses remonstrance to the powers that be. An 18-year-old Meadows is unfairly subjected to a draconian 8-year sentence and dishonorable discharge for pilfering (in vain) 40 dollars, but Badass" Buddusky and "Mull" Mulhall can do nothing to rescind the penalty, since they are self-professed Navy "lifers", what they can actually do, is to show Meadows a good time before he is cooped up, and Robert Towne's scintillating script doesn't mince words of Meadows' bleak prospect in the brig, for a callow and innocuous boy like him, he will never pull through his pending trials and tribulations as the same person. A lofty but ponderous Randy Quaid superbly telegraphs Meadows' congenial naiveté in his Oscar-nominated coup de foudre for Actor in a Supporting Role (though fairly speaking, the triad should have shared an even-steven co-leading designation), and transubstantiates it to a force of unaffected pull that absolutely evokes compassion from even the most callous heart.The trio's hijinks entail the usual suspects of benders and attempts of making whoopee (the latter is underwent through an incredible Nichiren chant hookup and concluded with an altruistic gesture to put the kibosh on Meadow's virginity in a house of ill repute), and more thoughtful arrangements including a visit to Meadow's mother, whose non-appearance and the empty house quietly but pungently speak volumes of Meadow's ill-bred backstory, plus a wintry barbecue as Meadows' last request, where he executes his first and final crack of running away, then the ending expunges all the prior camaraderie to a terse farewell, no words, no looking back, Meadows is manhandled to a future shrouded by masculine turpitude, just like that and Ashby steely disobliges audience's anticipation of a sentimental halfway house, presents the red-tape asperity in its stead, Navy or Marine, they are all cut from the same rotten cloth. Nicholson chalks up Cannes' BEST ACTOR laurel and parlays it into an Oscar nomination with his cynical ebullience and biting disillusion that encapsulates the signs of its times, concealing his profound distress that an innocent spirit is going to be snuffed and the damning incapacitating feeling that he can do nothing about it. Otis Young, also gives a thoroughly credible job as the contrarian-turned-sympathizer with a more reserved and practical make-up, provides a sober perspective from the sidelines (often tallies with the camera arrangements centering a barnstorming Nicholson). When the snare drum rolls in the end, one wonders what does "last" stands for in its title, apparently it doesn't mean "final" because both men have no alternative but return to the military service, yet as a cinematic travelogue cogently and frankly registers America's ennui and angst in the post-Vietnam War era, "least suitable" might find more grounds in its context.

George Wright One of the long list of excellent realist films of the 1970's, Jack Nicholson, Otis Young and Randy Quaid are outstanding in this story of a young seaman convicted of petty theft by the military and escorted to prison to serve an eight year sentence. Directed by Hal Ashby, Nicholson and Young are the two navy men duty bound to ensure the young seaman, Randy Quaid, arrives at the prison. The young recruit is unwise to the ways of the world. Raised on the wrong side of the tracks, he developed a habit of stealing but was never in serious trouble. Now, he is faced with a prison sentence after making the mistake of trying to take money from a donation box. Unfortunate for him, the charity was the favourite pastime of the wife of the base commander. Nicholson and Young soon realize that the military authorities have consigned a meek, and obedient puppy dog to time in hell. With the reality of the severe sentence handed out to the youth, his two military colleagues embark on a journey that he will remember. That's what the movie is about but more than that, it shows the two navy petty officers conflicted by the ordeal of having to fulfil "the last detail" of an unjust sentence. They feel there is nothing they can do and to be honest, the military are paid to carry out orders; not question those orders. The men in charge of this mission are horrified at the task, particularly Nicholson. Young expresses the fear that they could ruin their careers, taken down by the base authorities if they try to right the wrong. What we see are the two men trying to alleviate the young man's pain. But they know it's a short-term fling before a long journey through a dark night of humiliation, loss of freedom and brutality. In the space of a few days, they have fun drinking, eating and whoring and in the process try to teach the youth how to become a man. What they do accomplish is to help the young man with a few lessons as he learns to stand up for himself, to throw a punch when threatened and to send back food that is not to his satisfaction. The "last detail" is carried out. The petty officers may be given low marks by others of their generation or a later generation for not trying to abort the mission. However sad that might be, it does reflect the reality of life. I was moved by the performance of the three stars.

jadavix "The Last Detail" is one of those movies where some good ol' boys take a square out and show him a good time with alcohol, drugs, and sex. Of course he's a virgin, isn't much used to beer and has never touched marijuana.The problem with the movie is the character at its centre. The square is a bit too much of a dullard to keep the likes of Jack Nicholson sidelined. He doesn't really become a "character" in any tangible sense until the ending, which is quite touching. In the film's second act, however, you get a bit tired of looking at him, so much so that the blink-and-you'll- miss-it first screen appearance of the beautiful Nancy Allen seems like more of a highlight than it should.Nicholson was never a supporting actor. Someone with his unhinged energy - which gets a fine display here - has to be centre stage. We get too much of Randy Quaid, who shows us too little to care until it's almost too late.

hawktwo There's so much I like about this movie. I was in the Navy when I first saw it and loved how it realistically captured the enlisted reality. The dread you felt when an office or Chief came down the hall looking for volunteers. And you were trapped into some stupid detail. As Mule and Badass drag along Larry to prison forever, they stop along the way to make sure he gets some life experiences before being locked up. Larry matures enough that by the end he can speak up about his unmelted cheese and attempt a getaway. The dialog is perfect -- the slang, the intonation, and the attitudes have been captures. The acting is effortless.