The Last Detail

"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."

1973 1h 44m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 435

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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

“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.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

Howdy Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Jack Nicholson
Billy L. 'Badass' Buddusky
Otis Young
Richard 'Mule' Mulhall
Randy Quaid
Laurence M. 'Larry' Meadows
Clifton James
M. A. A.
Carol Kane
Young Whore
Michael Moriarty
Marine O. D.
Luana Anders
Donna
Kathleen Miller
Annette

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hal Ashby
Writers: Robert Towne
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

53 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hal Ashby, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Johnny Mandel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert C. Jones shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jack Nicholson and Otis Young and Randy Quaid carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "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.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hal Ashby directs. Michael Chapman behind the camera. Johnny Mandel scores. Robert C. Jones cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 4.3× over at the box office.
353 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Hal Ashby, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Johnny Mandel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert C. Jones shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jack Nicholson and Otis Young and Randy Quaid carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "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.".
9IMDB entry: tt0070290 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 16 themes, including "new york city", "washington dc, usa", "new jersey", "based on novel or book".

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael Chapman
Original score: Johnny Mandel
Editing: Robert C. Jones
Production design: Michael D. Haller
Costume design: Theodore R. Parvin
Makeup / hair: Maureen Sweeney
Sound: Richard Portman
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,300,000
Box office: $10,000,000
Return: 435% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Last Detail (1973)

Awards

Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Hal Ashby

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2023-11-29
★ 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
CinemaSerf2025-01-13
★ 7/10
"Meadows" (Randy Quaid) got caught trying to steal $40 from a charity box and so was kicked out of the US Navy and sent down for eight years! Charged with getting him to the jail are two veteran chancers "Buddusky" (Jack Nicholson) and "Mule" (Otis Young). These two think this is all just a bit of a lark that will get them away from the grind, but they haven't bargained on their prisoner. He comes across as little more than a timid child. Nervous and vulnerable. Why not make sure his last day of freedom is a bit more enjoyable? A few drinks won't hurt. Then, maybe, an hooker to pop his cherry (and make him even more aware of what he's going miss for the next eight years!). As you'd expect, as the young man starts to come out of his shell a little, this trio start to bond and they also begin to question their own attitudes and priorities as they get ever closer to the end of their task. Nicholson is in his element here: slightly loud, completely flaky and over the top. His characterisation of the decent but flawed "Buddusky" is powerfully presented here and is foiled equally well by the more understated Young who has a slightly more stoic, reserved, reaction to a life that perhaps his colour has drummed into him over the years. It's Quaid, though, that stole this for me. He plays the part like he's a flower waiting to blossom - and a prickly and thorny one, at that. It's all about masculinity but it's also about picking holes in that façade as these men deal with their own humanity all whilst they all make sure there are some darkly comedic enterprises along the way, too - just ask Carol Kane. Perhaps the USN won't have liked the portrayal of it's elite, here? These men feel themselves completely undervalued and under appreciated by their superior and are determined to break free from their own prison of mundanity. Even if it is for just one day.