Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		5.0

The Last Detail Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 12, 2017

Winner of Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Hal Ashby's "The Last Detail" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; promotional materials; new interview with director of photography Michael Chapman; new featurette with director Alexander Payne; and more. The release also arrives with a 26-page illustrated booklet featuring essays by Michael Pattison and Jeff Billington. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"Forgot the buns..."

This terrific film from the great director Hal Ashby embodies everything that I love about American cinema. It is strikingly bold, overflowing with unfiltered emotions, and shot with brilliant casual precision that digital technology will never be able to replicate. It was released in 1973, only a few years before George Lucas completed Star Wars: A New Hope, whose massive success convinced Hollywood to permanently abandon auteur cinema.

The film follows closely three very colorful characters as they travel from a naval base in Norfolk, VA to a naval brig in Portsmouth, N.H. Two of them, ‘Badass’ Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and ‘Mule’ Mulhall (Otis Young), are ‘lifers’ with reputations, while the third, Meadows (Randy Quaid), is a petty thief who has been caught stealing and now must spend the next eight years of his life behind bars.

Before they leave the base Buddusky and Mulhall agree that the trip might be the perfect opportunity to have a small road vacation since they can make it to the brig in half the time they have been given to get there. Along the way, however, the two warm up to Meadows and discover that he is just another simpleton who has been dealt a bad hand and now the system they all hate is about to crush him. So they alter their original plan and decide to show Meadows a good time before the ‘animals’ screw up his life. After a few days and nights of heavy drinking and a special impromptu trip to a whorehouse somewhere in Boston, the men realize that under different circumstances they could have been best pals for life. Then, rater abruptly, their journey and friendship come to an end.

The film is based on Darryl Ponicsan’s famous novel but its character and identity actually come from Robert Towne’s brilliant script. Indeed, the journey that is chronicled in the novel is only the foundation for a unique character study infused with plenty of edgy humor and tested street philosophy from the university of life. So the story that matters the most here is actually in the exchanges and the discoveries the three men make about each other, it is not the story about the various obstacles they overcome while traveling up north. (Many of the writers from the Beat Generation, such as Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, did something quite similar in their novels. They wrote about long and memorable road trips but actually discussed their unorthodox philosophy of life).

The three leads are fantastic, but Nicholson has to be singled out because his performance became inspirational for entire generations of actors and directors. The unbridled energy and pure intensity that Nicholson displays through his character are really something that an actor cannot master -- they can be unleashed before a rolling camera only if a person already possesses them.

The film’s organic cinematography is equally impressive, though apparently director of photography Michael Chapman frequently trusted Ashby’s instincts and many of the stylistic choices were actually determined by external factors. The very effective management of natural light that gives the film its raw appearance, for instance, was not always pre-planned.

The first cut of the film was approximately four and a half hours long and editor Robert C. Jones confirms that Ashby apparently liked it a lot. The final theatrical version, however, ended up being a little less than two hours long. (Also included on this release is a shorter TV version of the film which was edited by Jones as well).

The Last Detail Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Hal Ashby's Thee Last Detail arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a new 4K master which was prepared at Sony Pictures in the United States. I think that it is an outstanding master, every bit as impressive as the ones the studio produced for Richard Fleischer's 10 Rillington Place and Sydney Pollack's Tootsie. When projected, the film boasts terrific depth, and density has the type of impressive consistency that only very high-quality 4K masters tend to deliver. There are some sporadic clarity fluctuations, but they are a byproduct of the original cinematography. The color scheme is excellent. The primary colors are wonderfully saturated, very healthy, and properly balanced; there is a wide range of very healthy nuances as well. There are no traces of problematic degrainig or sharpening adjustments. Grain exposure can fluctuate a bit but this type of unevenness is clearly introduced by lensing/framing choices and light/shadow management. Overall image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are no distracting damage marks, debris, cuts, warps, or other inherited age-related imperfections. A truly outstanding master and excellent technical presentation. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

The Last Detail Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are no traces of the age-related anomalies that tend to plague older audio tracks. In other words, it is quite clear that during the restoration process the original audio for the film was fully remastered. The dialog is always clear, clean, and very easy to follow. Johnny Mandel's score has a prominent role in the film but it uses gentle music themes with unique woodwind solos that only add an extra dose of flavor to the visuals. There are no digital errors/anomalies to report.

The Last Detail Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Theatrical Trailer - original U.S. theatrical trailer for The Last Detail. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Syndication Cut - presented here is an original TV syndication version of The Last Detail. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. Reframed in 1.33:1. (96 min).

• An Introduction by Alexander Payne - in this short video introduction, director Alexander Payne (Election, Nebraska) quickly explains what makes The Last Detail a special film and where it fits in director Hal Ashby's body of work. The introduction was produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• An Interview with Michael Chapman - in this short video interview, director of photography Michael Chapman recalls how he became involved with The Last Detail and discusses some specific lighting choices that defined the film's visual appearance. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• About a Trip - in this new featurette, director Alexander Payne recalls the first time he viewed The Last Detail, and discusses some of his favorite scenes in the film, the spirit of the '70s, Hal Ashby's work, and how the many '70s films he saw as a teenager have affected the stylistic identity of his work. The featurette was produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• A Search for Truth - in this new documentary, editor Robert C. Jones recalls how he became involved with The Last Detail and his initial impressions of the principal actors, and discusses his interactions with Hal Ashby, the editing/cutting of different sequences (with some excellent comments about the fight at the end of the film), the use of long and slow dissolves throughout the film, Michael Chapman's photography, the use of organic sounds and noises, Jack Nicholson's memorable performance, etc. The documentary was produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Isolated Score - presented as LPCM 2.0.

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials (stills, lobby cards, and posters) for The Last Detail.

• Booklet - 26-page illustrated booklet featuring:
  • "Badass Blues", an essay by writer and film critic Michael Pattison
  • "The Last Detail - The 1976 Television Cut", en essay by Jeff Billington
  • Technical credits

The Last Detail Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Last Detail is my favorite Hal Ashby film and I am very happy to report that it looks absolutely magnificent on Blu-ray. This new release from Indicator/Powerhouse Films is sourced from a stunning new 4K restoration that in my opinion ranks amongst the very best Sony Pictures have done in recent years. The release is Region-Free and all of the supplemental features on it are perfectly playable on Blu-ray players and PS3s in the United States. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.