Two movies about sailors

[The Burgomaster]

Over the weekend, I watched two good DVDs that I recently purchased:

1.  THE LAST DETAIL - I've seen this 4 or 5 times, but the last time was at least 15 years ago so I figured I'd buy the DVD.  This movie was famous during the 1970s for its abundance of swearing (although, by today's standards it doesn't seem so bad).  Jack Nicholson turns in a solid performance as one of two Shore Patrolmen assigned to escort Randy Quaid to prison.  Along the way, they decide that the young, naive Quaid should have a good time before spending 8 years in prison.  This leads to a series of adventures involving liquor and prostitutes.  The dialogue is great (the screenplay was written by Robert Towne) and the film moves along at a quick pace.

2.  CINDERELLA LIBERTY - James Caan plays a sailor who is granted a "Cinderella Liberty" (meaning that his pass only lasts until midnight).  He meets hooker Marsha Mason (who was nominated for an Oscar) and her mulatto son and tries to help them make a better life for themselves.  In my opinion, this is one of James Caan's best performances.  Unfortunately, this movie has pretty much been forgotten since the 1970s.

I recommend both movies . . . and they make a solid double feature.

[BeyondTheGrave]

I enjoyed Last Detail. Great Flick. 

[trekgeezer]

I saw both movies the first time while serving in the Navy during the 70's. The Last Detail is highly believable because I knew guys that were like Buddusky. Randy Quaid was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for his part.  The fight with the Marines in the head is pretty good.  My oldest brother, who joined the Navy in 1951, hated Marines because of the torture they put him through in the brig. He was very much like Nicholson's character, a Boatswain Mate and trouble maker.

Cinderella Liberty is a good movie and another realistic portrayal of Navy life at the time, but I thought the ending was preposterous.  The scene where he recognizes Eli Wallach as his boot camp company commander is hilarious.  At Great Lakes one of the punishments was dumpster duty, where you literally had to stand guard inside the dumpster allowing people to pour their trash on you. It was very cold there in the winter.


There was a rumor a couple of years ago that a sequel was going to made to the Last Detail. The three sailors would now be bar owners or something like that. Nicholson and Quaid  were going to be in it, but Otis Young died in 2001 so they were going to have cast someone else as Mulhall. 

[Yaddo 42]

I've seen botha couple of times over the years, TLD is a fantastic film, and deserves the reputation it has.

Cinderella Liberty used to air on AMC a lot in the mornings during my insomnia phase. I like the first half much better than the second half. Turns very kitchen sink drama, then that ending just pushes things too far. Caan is better than the film as a whole, IMO. I do like the song by Paul Williams too.

[Scott]

Every see Steve McQueen in SAND PEBBLES (1966)?

[CheezeFlixz]

Every see Steve McQueen in SAND PEBBLES (1966)?

Great Movie

[The Burgomaster]

Yes . . . THE SAND PEBBLES holds a place of prominence in my DVD collection.