The Last Detail

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The Last Detail ★★★★ 1973 (R)

Two hard-boiled career petty officers (Nicholson and Young) are commissioned to transfer a young sailor facing an eight-year sentence for petty theft from one brig to another. In an act of compassion, they attempt to show the prisoner a final good time. Nicholson shines in both the complexity and completeness of his character. Adapted from a Daryl Ponicsan novel. 104m/C VHS, DVD . Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James, Michael Moriarty, Carol Kane, Nancy Allen, Gilda Radner; D: Hal Ashby; W: Robert Towne; C: Michael Chapman; M: Johnny Mandel. British Acad. '74: Actor (Nicholson), Screenplay; Cannes '74: Actor (Nicholson); N.Y. Film Critics '74: Actor (Nicholson); Natl. Soc. Film Critics '74: Actor (Nicholson).