The Last Detail Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

The Last Detail Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 26, 2016

In one of those weird synchronicities that often accrue in the annals of Hollywood, two novels by Daryl Ponicsan, both of which had at least some surface similarities, made it to the screen within just a few days of each other in late 1973 (probably as part of a marketing strategy to get some Academy Award nominations, which both ended up doing). Cinderella Liberty was a bittersweet romantic fable following a lonely sailor (James Caan) who falls for a “working woman” (Oscar nominated Marsha Mason) and who becomes a surrogate father for her mixed race son (Kirk Calloway). Much more scabrous in tone and content was The Last Detail, another entry featuring lonely sailors, but one which had been in a certain kind of development hell for quite some time before Jack Nicholson’s involvement managed to win over cautious studio executive types who worried about Robert Towne’s expletive laced screenplay and certain discomfiting aspects of the general storyline. Nicholson is on record as having stated that he considers his performance in The Last Detail one of his best, if not the best, and the visceral intensity of his turn as the appropriately named (and/or nicknamed) Billy "Badass" Buddusky earned the actor a well deserved Academy Award nomination. (One of the other odd synchronicities about these two films is that each received three Academy Award nominations, with one nomination being for performance in a leading role, albeit for different genders.)

While Jack Nicholson is front and center throughout The Last Detail, younger viewers may actually be more fascinated by Randy Quaid, playing Seaman Larry Meadows. Years before he became straggly haired fodder for tabloids and evening “entertainment” shows, Quaid (also Oscar nominated for his performance) is in some ways the emotional anchor (no pun intended, given the naval ambience of the film) which provides a lot of the dramatic momentum the film achieves. The basic setup of The Last Detail is simplicity itself, with petty officers Buddusky and “Mule” (Otis Young) tasked with escorting Meadows to a naval prison, where he’s facing incarceration for a troubling but still relatively minor crime.

Badass and Mule aren’t especially amped for this little “tour of duty”, until they get the idea that it is in fact a tour, one which, if they get Meadows to his Portsmouth destination fast enough, will enable them to enjoy a few days of R&R on the return trip. Meadows turns out to be something of a sad sack, initially withdrawn, but goofily likable nonetheless. As the three board a bus, a bond begins to form between the trio, as evidenced by Badass’ early decision to let Meadows make the journey without handcuffs. The trust shown may not be entirely earned, as it’s soon revealed that Meadows has a bit of a theft problem, something his impending imprisonment obviously has provided a clue about.

Badass and Mule take pity on Meadows nonetheless, and decide to reorient the trip so that Portsmouth comes last and they’re therefore able to show the kid one last good time before his rather disproportionate prison sentence is meted out. That provides The Last Detail with the bulk of its vignette like structure, as the three bond more closely and the two elder Navy guys try to give Meadows a few adventures which will perhaps help to ease his upcoming confinement.

What’s so remarkable about The Last Detail is how it effortlessly combines a really authentically heartfelt ambience (one is almost tempted to say a “saccharine” element) within what is one of the most consistently expletive laced screenplays of its era. This is a story that takes no prisoners (so to speak) in its very realistic recreation of the way guys in the armed forces tend to speak with each other. Nicholson chews threw the salty dialogue with vigor, and has a field day depicting a guy who’s probably spent the bulk of his adult life in uniform and frankly doesn’t have that much to show for it. But underneath the onslaught of four letter words is a perhaps unexpected amount of heart, something that instantly sets The Last Detail apart from similarly hard nosed (and tough tongued) stories featuring guys who have donned uniforms only to find out glory isn’t necessarily theirs as an instant “reward”.

There’s some really interesting simmering subtext at play in The Last Detail, which came out just as the Vietnam conflict was finally winding down. The longstanding rivalry between the Navy and Marines turns up in a couple of instances, but there are some very telling and rather intimate moments when the guys hook up with some girls where the then recent war is referenced. Also interesting is a late flip flop of sentiments when Meadows does yet another (really) stupid thing and Mule finally loses his temper. It’s a moment that defies traditional “screenwriting techniques”, but which comes across as completely believable and, ultimately, wonderfully ironic.

There’s a kind of loosey-goosey feel to a lot of The Last Detail, something that probably only tends to reinforce its rumpled, lived in feeling. The film offers Nicholson at the height of his arched eyebrow powers, and he’s supported wonderfully by Young and (especially) Quaid. Though only appearing in what are basically glorified cameos, Carol Kane, Nancy Allen and Gilda Radner make indelible impressions as well. Hal Ashby directs in a no nonsense, quasi-verité style that makes this road trip completely engaging, if ultimately incredibly bittersweet.

The Last Detail Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Last Detail is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Culled from the Sony-Columbia catalog, The Last Detail was given a 4K restoration a couple of years ago, from which I'm assuming this transfer was sourced. Some (probably younger) folks not used to Ashby's on the fly directing style and the unfussy (and often naturally lit) cinematography of Michael Chapman may quibble about the roughhewn and rather grainy look of this feature, one that's so grainy at times it almost resembles Super 16. All of these qualities tend to combine to give a highly textured but probably slightly less detailed presentation than some might expect, though this is a wonderful recreation of the kind of down and dirty look that Ashby was obviously going for. The film's prevalence of dimly lit interior scenes, and the equal ubiquity of dark costuming (like the peacoats the guys wear) tend to keep shadow definition to a minimum at times, though this is again perfectly in line with the source. The one slight qualm I have with this transfer is with compression. At times the grain assumes a slightly multicolored look which almost resembles chroma anomalies. This tends to crop up in the darkest moments, when the slight flecks of color can be more easily spotted against dark backgrounds. It was much more pronounced when I watched this on my new 4K television uprezzed through my UHD Blu-ray player, but it was also noticeable, if less so, watching in "standard" 1080p on a regular Blu-ray player.

The Last Detail Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Last Detail's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track gets the job done without much fuss or bother, offering good reproductions of some of the urban environments the guys travel to, while also offering excellent support in the many intimate dialogue scenes that play out between small groups of people. The always superb Johnny Mandel provides a nice score here which utilizes some moldy oldies for source cues. Fidelity is fine and there are no issues of any kind to warrant (officer?) concern.

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

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:58)


• Isolated Score Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.

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

It's rare to find a film that displays as much heart as The Last Detail does while also pummeling the viewer with some of the most consistently blue language imaginable. Performances are top notch, including a wonderfully forceful Nicholson and a surprisingly touching Quaid. This is certainly not a film for those who blanch at expletives, but for those who have had any experience with the military, there's a very authentic feeling to this film which is testament to Ponicsan's original source novel as well as to Robert Towne's smart adapted screenplay. Technical merits are strong and despite a relative lack of supplements The Last Detail comes Highly recommended.