1973 film directed by Hal Ashby
The Last Detail is a 1973 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby, from a screenplay by Robert Towne, based on the 1970 novel by Darryl Ponicsan. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James, and Carol Kane. It follows two career sailors assigned to escort a young emotionally withdrawn junior sailor from their Virginia base to Portsmouth Naval Prison in New Hampshire.
The Last Detail was theatrically released in the United States by Columbia Pictures on December 12, 1973. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Nicholson, Young, and Quaid, as well as Towne's screenplay. It was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, three Academy Awards, and four British Academy Film Awards (winning two).
The film is one of two 1973 film adaptations of Ponicsan's novels based on his experiences in the U.S. Navy; the other being Cinderella Liberty, starring James Caan and Marsha Mason.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.