The Last Detail main backdrop
The Last Detail main poster

The Last Detail

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7.0/10 • 376

1973-12-111h 44m

DramaComedy

No *#@!!* Navy’s going to give some poor **!!@* kid eight years in the #@!* brig without me taking him out for the time of his *#@!!* life.

Two Navy men are ordered to bring a young offender to prison, but decide to show him one last good time along the way.

Directors
Hal Ashby
Editors
Robert C. Jones

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Jack Nicholson

    Jack Nicholson

    SM1 Billy 'Bad Ass' Buddusky

  2. Otis Young

    Otis Young

    GM1 'Mule' Mulhall

  3. Randy Quaid

    Randy Quaid

    Seaman Larry Meadows

  4. Clifton James

    Clifton James

    M. A. A.

  5. Carol Kane

    Carol Kane

    Young Whore

  6. Michael Moriarty

    Michael Moriarty

    Marine O. D.

  7. Kathleen Miller

    Kathleen Miller

    Annette

  8. Nancy Allen

    Nancy Allen

    Nancy

  9. Gerry Salsberg

    Gerry Salsberg

    Henry

Reviews2

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Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Nov 29, 2023

7/10

Slice-of-life drama about post-Vietnam military guys on the eastern home front Two Petty Officers in Norfolk, Virginia (Jack Nicholson and Otis Young), are assigned a shore patrol detail to escort a naïve 18-year-old Seaman (Randy Quaid) to Portsmouth Naval Prison just across the coastal border of Maine. They decide to give the ‘kid’ a good time in several misadventures along the way. “The Last Detail” (1973) is a road movie in the Northeast during the transition from late Fall to early Winter (shot in November-January). While a realistic drama, it’s also a dark comedy with interesting and amusing commentaries on life, the American military, corruption, injustice, friendship, recreation, folly, sexual relations and so on. To be expected with young characters in the military, the talk and shenanigans are often R-rated. Nicholson’s friend, Dennis Hopper, took the template of this film to make the similar "Chasers" two decades later (1994). While it’s way more obscure, “Chasers” is the more entertaining film. This one is too mundane on occasion, like when the guys drink & blather in their underwear in the hotel room. Another similar flick is "The Lucky Ones" (2007). While I feel “The Last Detail” is the least of the three, it’s definitely worth checking out. The movie runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot on location, taking the same journey as the trio, except for Toronto doubling as Norfolk in the first act, as well as a later scene involving the fictitious Calvin Coolidge Junior High. The rest of the film was shot in coastal Virginia, DC, New York City, Massachusetts and New Hampshire/Maine. GRADE: B

Media

  • The Last Detail poster
  • The Last Detail poster
  • The Last Detail poster
  • The Last Detail poster
  • The Last Detail poster
  • The Last Detail poster
  • The Last Detail poster
  • The Last Detail poster
  • The Last Detail poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$2,300,000.00
Revenue
$10,000,000.00
Keywords
washington dc, usabased on novel or booku.s. navyroad tripmaineconvictprison sentencesailortrain travelshore patrolbuddy movieprisoner escort