1973 | R | 1h 44m | Comedy, Drama
As a military veteran, I have been around my fair share of crude banter and surreal situations. So when I watch military-themed films, I tend to be overly critical of how realistic both the verbal and physical exchanges are between troops. If it doesn’t ring true and it’s obvious that the filmmakers didn’t have much knowledge or guidance of even casual military parlance, I can immediately tell. On the flip side of the coin, if the vernacular is a little too esoteric, it can fly over the heads of most audiences.
“The Last Detail” (1973), directed by Hal Ashby (“Being There,” “Shampoo”), strikes a good balance between the two, and manages to deliver gritty, realistic dialogue that isn’t too cryptic to understand….