The Last Detail (1973)

Directed by Hal Ashby and released in 1973, The Last Detail is a quintessential example of American New Wave cinema—gritty, unsentimental, yet brimming with humanity. Adapted from Darryl Ponicsan’s novel by Robert Towne (who later wrote Chinatown), the film stars Jack Nicholson in one of his most celebrated performances. It is a road movie, a buddy comedy, and a bleak commentary on authority all at once. By turns hilarious, touching, and tragic, it captures the contradictions of a generation caught between rebellion and duty.

Set during the waning years of the Vietnam era, the film follows two Navy petty officers—Billy “Badass” Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and Richard “Mule” Mulhall (Otis Young)—who are assigned the mundane task of escorting a young, timid sailor, Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid), from their base in Virginia to a naval prison in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Meadows has been sentenced to eight years for the relatively minor crime of attempting to steal $40 from a polio charity box. Outraged by the severity of the punishment, Buddusky and Mule decide to show Meadows a good time before his life behind bars begins. What follows is a meandering journey through America’s cold landscapes of bus stations, bars, diners, and seedy hotels, where the three men form a bittersweet bond.

Their escapades include drunken brawls, encounters with prostitutes, and fleeting moments of joy, but the looming inevitability of Meadows’s fate casts a long shadow. The journey, both comic and tragic, ends with Meadows being delivered to prison despite Buddusky’s fierce, futile defiance of authority.

Jack Nicholson is magnetic as Buddusky, blending swagger, humour, and volcanic bursts of anger. His performance is both exhilarating and heartbreaking, earning him the Best Actor award at Cannes and an Academy Award nomination.

Otis Young provides a superb counterbalance as Mule. Where Buddusky is hot-tempered and impulsive, Mule is more measured and pragmatic, yet equally disillusioned.

Randy Quaid, in an early career-defining role, is excellent as Meadows. His wide-eyed innocence and awkwardness gradually give way to despair, making his ultimate fate deeply affecting. He too earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Together, the trio create a chemistry that feels raw and unforced, their shifting dynamic embodying both the camaraderie and futility of their situation.

Hal Ashby, one of the most distinctive directors of the 1970s, infuses the film with his signature naturalism. His focus on flawed, human characters—already evident in Harold and Maude (1971)—is at its most poignant here.

The cinematography, by Michael Chapman, captures a wintry, bleak America that mirrors the film’s emotional landscape: desolate railway stations, drab hotels, and grey urban backdrops. This sense of coldness underlines the futility of rebellion in a system designed to crush individuality.

The screenplay by Robert Towne is sharp, unsentimental, and profane (at the time, the film was notable for its unprecedented use of obscenity). Yet beneath the vulgarity is tenderness and compassion, giving the characters depth beyond their bravado.

The film is a stinging critique of military authority and bureaucracy. Despite Buddusky’s rebellious spirit, the system prevails, crushing Meadows’s spirit and rendering the journey ultimately meaningless.

Meadows experiences fleeting freedom—his first taste of alcohol, intimacy, and companionship—before being locked away. The contrast between temporary liberation and inevitable confinement drives the film’s poignancy.

The bond between the three men is rooted in banter, bravado, and mutual vulnerability. Yet the fragile veneer of masculine toughness hides loneliness and disillusionment.

Like many films of the era, The Last Detail reflects the cynicism of a society weary of war, authority, and hollow institutions. The characters embody a lost generation seeking meaning in transient pleasures.

On release, The Last Detail was both acclaimed and controversial. Critics praised Nicholson’s electrifying performance and Towne’s uncompromising script, while some audiences were shocked by its constant profanity. The film received three Academy Award nominations: Best Actor (Nicholson), Best Supporting Actor (Quaid), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Towne).

Over the decades, the film has retained its reputation as a classic of American New Wave cinema. Its influence can be seen in later buddy road films and in the gritty realism of directors such as Richard Linklater.

Like Five Easy Pieces before it, The Last Detail contains a standout diner scene: Buddusky’s raw, expletive-filled tirade at a barman who refuses to serve beer before noon. It epitomises his rage against arbitrary rules, showcasing Nicholson’s ability to fuse comedy with righteous fury.

The Last Detail is a deeply human film, at once profane, funny, and heartbreaking. Hal Ashby directs with empathy, Robert Towne writes with biting honesty, and Nicholson, Young, and Quaid bring the characters vividly to life. It is a film about small rebellions in the face of an uncaring system, about fleeting joys overshadowed by inevitable loss.

Half road comedy, half tragedy, it is ultimately a study in futility: no matter how much laughter, camaraderie, or rebellion takes place along the way, the destination cannot be avoided. This haunting truth makes The Last Detail one of the defining films of the 1970s, and one of the greatest showcases of Nicholson’s brilliance.