THE LAST DETAIL (74)

Directed by: Hal Ashby (1973)

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid

The Pitch: Two hardened petty officers are detailed to escort a naive young man to the brig, where he'll be serving an eight-year sentence for thievery.

Theo Sez: Not a lot of primary colours here - almost a parody of 'gritty' visual drabness, in fact (there's a railroad-station scene early on where, I swear, every single extra is dressed in brown) ; quite effective though, especially since it's the kind of understated movie that creeps up on you, never showy or flamboyant. Part of Hollywood's brief flirtation with the art-film, though it feels more like a television play, with its small cast and spare, no-frills style (even the opening credits are laconic) : studiedly neutral for the most part and, despite the comments of (some) contemporary critics, it never feels like it's playing to the gallery (not the 90s gallery, anyway). The men it describes may be "lifers" who've gotten into a certain narrow way of thinking, but there's no crowd-pleasing condemnation of that - it's even suggested that it might be their salvation (Young's comment that "I don't know what I'd have done without the Navy" is sincerely-meant - even if it also illustrates his problem) ; the ending is a minor tragedy, but it couldn't really have been avoided - "Life's like that," the whole film seems to be saying (from its downbeat look to the pathetic undertow in Nicholson's finely-calibrated performance), which is both its limitation and its great power. Absorbing to watch and very admirable in retrospect, very intelligible and all-of-a-piece ; wouldn't be surprised if it settles in my memory as a bona fide classic. Never realised Jack was so short before, though (much as it fits his character's pugnacious persona) ; is it just that the other two are very tall?