Good concept, poorly executed.

Absolutely brilliant

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I was so hard to watch this movie. It is a simple story. A young sailor makes a stupid mistake. Because of petty theft, he is court-martialed and sent to prison for eight years. Two petty officers have the duty of bringing him to meet his fate. Randy Quaid is the sad young man who is bewildered and defenseless. We know that he will not do well in prison. So these guys do everything to try to make his last days of freedom memorable. They get him into a fight, get him drunk, and biting him to a whorehouse where they set him up with a prostitute. He is a fish out of water so what these guys are doing is pretty foreign to him. But these guys are heroes and are showing love the best way they can. The nice thing is that we get to see Nicholson on the road to greatness.

In one word: this is MASCULINE. Manly, virile. This is a man's film, in everything that's wrong with that, and everything that's fine with that. A couple of more seasoned marines have to escort this young delinquent, who's really a nice young 'fellar' but with issues, to some prison. Along the way, they develop a liking for each other and form a group of pals. Jack Nicholson is a slightly unbalanced person himself as depicted multiple times, and the adventures pile up with these three tearing it up in the open spaces, from fun with alcohol and other pleasures of life, to fights or coming across some of the more particular places in town. It's a fun ride, the acting is very good and captivating, the story lets itself be told and all in all this is quite entertaining. Although this is the sort of film that will never add a second layer to itself, and is really event-based and nothing beyond that, it's exactly what it wants to be and does it well. All the way up til the end does this film stay true to itself.

One of the long list of excellent realist films of the 1970's, Jack Nicholson, Otis Young and Randy Quaid are outstanding in this story of a young seaman convicted of petty theft by the military and escorted to prison to serve an eight year sentence. Directed by Hal Ashby, Nicholson and Young are the two navy men duty bound to ensure the young seaman, Randy Quaid, arrives at the prison. The young recruit is unwise to the ways of the world. Raised on the wrong side of the tracks, he developed a habit of stealing but was never in serious trouble. Now, he is faced with a prison sentence after making the mistake of trying to take money from a donation box. Unfortunate for him, the charity was the favourite pastime of the wife of the base commander. Nicholson and Young soon realize that the military authorities have consigned a meek, and obedient puppy dog to time in hell. With the reality of the severe sentence handed out to the youth, his two military colleagues embark on a journey that he will remember. That's what the movie is about but more than that, it shows the two navy petty officers conflicted by the ordeal of having to fulfil "the last detail" of an unjust sentence. They feel there is nothing they can do and to be honest, the military are paid to carry out orders; not question those orders. The men in charge of this mission are horrified at the task, particularly Nicholson. Young expresses the fear that they could ruin their careers, taken down by the base authorities if they try to right the wrong. What we see are the two men trying to alleviate the young man's pain. But they know it's a short-term fling before a long journey through a dark night of humiliation, loss of freedom and brutality. In the space of a few days, they have fun drinking, eating and whoring and in the process try to teach the youth how to become a man. What they do accomplish is to help the young man with a few lessons as he learns to stand up for himself, to throw a punch when threatened and to send back food that is not to his satisfaction. The "last detail" is carried out. The petty officers may be given low marks by others of their generation or a later generation for not trying to abort the mission. However sad that might be, it does reflect the reality of life. I was moved by the performance of the three stars.

Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and "Mule" Mulhall (Otis Young) are weary sailors assigned to escort young Meadows (Randy Quaid) from Norfolk to Portsmouth. Meadows tried to steal $40 from the Polio contribution box which is the favorite charity of the admiral's wife. They plan to take the slow route and save the per diem to spend on the way back. However they take pity on the poor sap Meadows who is about to spend 8 years in the brig. They take him to find some good times at the big city stops along the way.It's a bit meandering as a story but Nicholson gives a good performance. He's the undisputed star every time he's on the screen. Randy Quaid is playing a timid character. Sometimes he gets off a good laugh. In general, the movie is a slow moving comedy from director Hal Ashby with a few very good laughs.