My last week in the Navy, I was assigned "Brig Chaser" Duty - I escorted prisoners to various appointments as they were preparing to go to prison - The Last Detail came out the year I joined the Navy. Needless to say I appreciated this film on many levels.
Buddusky and Mule don't initially want to show Meadows a good time; rather, they want to exploit the time allotted for themselves. They begin to warm to Meadows over time and open a new world to him. Meadows changes throughout the movie and becomes more of a man before he's locked up. Great movie.
The book's great too. It's a pretty faithful adaptation to screen. I rented a VHS of this when I was 13 not expecting much since the cover made this look a low budget pile. It is low budget but the writing, acting and direction are perfect - it's a blue collar arthouse movie and the only special effects are shots of an America that no longer exists. You can say nothing happens or that there are no stakes, but the awesome thing is that eight years of a man's life are at stake and it's more exciting than most movies where the earth is going to end.
I really like this movie a lot. I thought I'd seen every Nancy Allen movie until this one, and you can even see a little Cousin Eddy in Randy Quaid. I actually wish they would make more movies like this today..... some of the editing you see now doesn't allow you to connect to the story.
I agree. The editing today is quick cuts, no time or thought behind the shot or choreography. There's a few exceptions, but most of today's films lack the rawness of The Last Detail. Real people, characters, flaws and all.
