The Last Detail

The Last Detail is a film I watched awhile back, but I wanted to post on the blog about it. I really enjoyed this movie. It isn't neccesarily on my Top 10 Movies list, but it is a good movie for it is. It's a story of two men who have to take a man who stole from a fundraising fund to a prison. The movie basically revolves around this simple story. The story really doesn't give you a lot to work with, but when a story has a few out there characters, something very different is formed. Those characters are Billy "Bad Ass" Budusky and "Mule" Mulhall. The two characters are played by Jack Nicholson and Otis Young. Then there is the young prisoner played by Randy Quaid. All of these characters have very different personalities, from Budusky's take no crap and have a good time attitude, to Mule's tough exterior, who just needs a little fun in his life. Finally Quaid's character is a very frightened individual who just simply needs to lighten up. The real story is the breaking of this young man. At first Buddusky and Mule just see this as some stupid job, and I way to get out. However, they realize that there is something truly wrong with this young kid, and he needs to be broken. So, the three of them get into all sorts of trouble, from drinking to partying. There is an especially good scene with Nicholson at a bar, when they try and get the kid a drink, and then Mule who is black wants one too, but the bartender refuses. Nicholson is especially intense and at the top of his game at such a young age in this scene. The dialogue within the film is quick witted and snappy. The visuals are nothing to die for, but they are realistic and I believe that's what the director was looking for. The direction is well done, and with the great performance from the top actors it creates quite a show of mental and physical perseverance in the game that is life. I do recommend this film and I may rethink my thoughts of not putting it in my Top 10, because it certainly is one of Nicholson's best performances. Finally it is a great film because it was part of the new beginning of no censorship and an any thing goes attitude as long as its real, it is a visionary film to rival that of Easy Rider and Midnight Cowboy in the 60s-70s generation.