Indicator (Powerhouse) initial slate of Blu-rays
Spine #001	Spine #002	Spine #003	Spine #004	Spine #005	Spine #006

Spine #008	Spine #010	Spine #012	Spine #013	Spine #019	Spine #020

Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video (both):

Audio:

• Isolated Score Track
• Original Theatrical Trailer (2:58)

• Liner notes by Julie Kirgo

Limited to 3,000 Copies!

• TV Syndicated Cut (1:35:23) 9 Meg / 1080P / 11.99 Mbps
• Introduction by Alexander Paune (5:11)
• Interview with Michael Chapman (3:55)
• About a Trip (16:26)
• In Search of Truth (20:35)
• Trailer (2:58)
• Isolated Score
• Promotional Material Image Gallery

Bitrate:

Description: Two Navy "lifers" and one military innocent briefly attempt to thumb their nose at Authority in Hal Ashby's The Last Detail (1973). "Badass" Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and "Mule" Mulhall (Otis Young) are assigned to escort young sailor Meadows (Randy Quaid, who beat out John Travolta for the part) from their Virginia base to a New England military prison, where Meadows will serve an eight-year sentence for attempting to swipe the commander's wife's polio donation can. Buddusky thinks that the sentence is a waste of Meadows' formative years, and he convinces a skeptical Mulhall to show the hapless Meadows a good time by partying on their per diem for the rest of the detail's allotted week. As they head north, the comically posturing Buddusky leads Meadows through the masculinizing rituals of getting drunk, getting in a fight, and getting laid; and he teaches Meadows to stand up for himself so well that Meadows tries to escape.

[...]

 

 

The Film:

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

The Last Detail comes to Twilight Time Blu-ray in a dual-layered, 1080P transfer with their usual high bitrate. The visuals are extremely thick, often soft - well-representing the film's original heavy, dark, appearance. Some may reject this textured appearance but this is a true reflection of the production style. The Last Detail was never meant to look tight and glossy. It appears quite consistent in-motion with no damage or speckles.  I see no evidence of manipulation or noise. This Blu-ray gives a wonderfully grainy presentation in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio - probably as good as it will get for this film.

Predictably - no significant difference at all - the pixels have moved around a bit. the Indicator has the more technically robust transfer and this may show up in-motion to the very discerning eye. Otherwise another fabulous representation of this gritty film.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

1) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps equally as important as a solid representation of The Last Detail is the audio - we get a DTS-HD Master mono track at 1065 kbps (24-bit).  There is an optional Isolated Score and English (SDH) subtitle options and the disc is region FREE - playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

Indicator, again, go liner PCM - original mono 24-bit - and it sounds as solid as the Twilight Time. The, fairly passive, track is authentically flat and austere - benefitting is Johnny Mandel's (Pretty Poison, Point Blank, Deathtrap, M*A*S*H, That Cold Day in the Park, Heaven with a Gun etc.) grass roots score balanced well with the film's stark narrative. There is an optional Isolated Score and English (SDH) subtitle options and the disc is region FREE - playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

Extras :

Twilight Time add only a trailer with the usual Isolated Score Track for the digital supplements. The package has some liner notes by Julie Kirgo and is limited to 3,000 copies.

This is the area Indicator advance heavily. They include the TV Syndicated Cut running about 9-minutes shorter - it's more a curiosity than to view Ashby's masterpiece. We get a new 5-minute introduction to the film by director, producer and screenwriter Alexander Payne as well as a short (4-minute) interview with Michael Chapman the DoP of The Last Detail. What are excellent extras are two of Robert Fischer's Fiction Factory bonus featurettes; About a Trip has Payne, again, discussing Hal Ashby and The Last Detail for almost 17-minutes and In Search of Truth runs over 20-minutes and has Robert C. Jones, editor for The Last Detail, discussing the film. There is the aforementioned Isolated Score, trailer and a Promotional Material Image Gallery plus a liner notes booklet. It is Dual-Format and includes a second disc DVD and is also limited to 3.000 units.

 

Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

BOTTOM LINE:
The Last Detail leaves an indelible impression. The performances are strong and it's exceptionally realized by Ashby - and it's memorable.  The Twilight Time Blu-ray provides as good an a/v transfer for the film as we're likely to get on digital and the isolated score and liner notes add some limited value. It's an odd, starkly realistic, and, at times, uncomfortable film to watch but I think it's brilliant - very strongly recommended!

 

Indicator vault ahead with their extensive extras and make their edition the definitive one for Ashby's film. It's likely to go out-of-print in this particular release and we encourage fans of the film to indulge in this unforgettable work. Indicator does it again...  

Gary Tooze

January 20th, 2016

February 17th, 2017

 

Or in the UK + US in July 2020: or directly from Indicator:

Indicator (Powerhouse) initial slate of Blu-rays
Spine #001	Spine #002	Spine #003	Spine #004	Spine #005	Spine #006

Spine #008	Spine #010	Spine #012	Spine #013	Spine #019	Spine #020