"Actor: Lee Allen"

• Game of Thrones - Season 1-7 | DVD | (11/12/2017) from £67.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Season 1 Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plots, lusts and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men...all will play the 'Game of Thrones.' A new original series based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. Season 2 The Battle continues in Westeros with feuding families and power hungry rulers. Five Kings vie for a single, all-powerful throne in the all-new season of Game of Thrones an epic story of duplicity and treachery, nobility and honour, conquest and triumph. Season 2 plays out against the backdrop of a fast-approaching winter. In King's Landing, the coveted Iron Throne is occupied by cruel young Joffrey, counseled by his conniving mother Cersei and uncle Tyrion. But the Lannister hold on the Throne is under assault on many fronts. There's Robb Stark, son of the slain Lord of Winterfell, Ned Stark; Daenerys Targaryen, who looks to shore up her depleted power through three newborn dragons; Stannis Baratheon, eldest brother of the late King Robert; and Stannis' brother Renly, who has maintained his own claim since fleeing King's Landing. In the meantime, a new leader is rising among the wildlings North of the Wall, adding new perils for Jon Snow and the Night's Watch. With tensions and treaties, animosity and alliances, Season 2 of Game of Thrones promises to be a thrilling journey through a riveting, unforgettable landscape. Season 3 In Season 3, family and loyalty will be the overarching themes, and many critical plot points from the first two seasons will come to a violent head, with several major characters meeting cruel fates. While a primary focus continues to be on King's Landing, where the Lannisters barely held onto power after a savage naval onslaught from Stannis Baratheon (brother of the late king), stirrings in the North threaten to alter the overall balance of power in Westeros. Robb Stark, King of the North, will face a major calamity in his efforts to build on his victories over the Lannisters in Season 2, while further north, Mance Rayder (new character, played by Ciarán Hinds) and his huge army of wildlings continue their inexorable march south to scale the Wall. Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen reunited with her three deadly, fast-maturing dragons attempts to raise an army of slaves to sail with her from Essos, in hopes of eventually overthrowing the Iron Throne. Season 4 As Season 4 begins, the Lannisters' hold on the Iron Throne remains intact in the wake of the Red Wedding slaughter that wiped out many of their Stark nemeses. But can they survive their own egos as well as new and ongoing threats? Meanwhile, an unbowed Stannis Baratheon continues to rebuild his army; the Lannister-loathing ˜Red Viper of Dorne,' Oberyn Martell, arrives at King's Landing for Joffrey's wedding to Margaery Tyrell; Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons and unsullied force aim to liberate the largest Slavery City in the east...with long-range plans to take back the Iron Throne; and a depleted Night's Watch faces the advance of Mance Rayder's wildling army, who are in turn running from the undead White Walkers. Season 5 After the shocking deaths of S4, the season begins with a power vacuum that protagonists across Westeros and Essos look to fill. At Castle Black, Jon Snow struggles to balance the demands of the Night's Watch with those of newly-arrived Stannis Baratheon, who styles himself as the rightful king of Westeros. Meanwhile, Cersei scrabbles to hold on to power in Kings Landing amidst the Tyrells and the rise of a religious group led by the enigmatic High Sparrow, while Jaimie embarks on a secret mission. Across the Narrow Sea, Arya seeks an old friend while a fugitive Tyrion finds a new cause. And as danger mounts in Meereen, Daenerys Targaryen finds that her tenuous hold on the city requires some hard sacrifices. Season 6 Following the shocking developments at the conclusion of season five, including Jon Snow's bloody fate at the hands of Castle Black mutineers, Daenerys' near-demise at the fighting pits of Meereen, and Cersei's public humiliation in the streets of King's Landing, survivors from all parts of Westeros and Essos regroup to press forward, inexorably, towards their uncertain individual fates. Familiar faces will forge new alliances to bolster their strategic chances at survival, while new characters will emerge to challenge the balance of power in the east, west, north and south. Season 7 As the season begins, Daenerys Targaryen, accompanied by her Unsullied army and emboldened by Dothraki/Ironborn allies and her lethal trio of dragons, has finally set sail for Westeros with Tyrion Lannister, her newly appointed Hand. Jon Snow, memorably reanimated in S6, has apparently consolidated power in the North after his spectacular conquest of Ramsay Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards and the return of Winterfell to Stark control. In King's Landing, Cersei Lannister, bereft of any surviving heirs, has successfully seized the Iron Throne by using wildfire to incinerate the High Sparrow and other foes in the Sept of Baelor. But as these and other factions drive inexorably towards new alliances or (more likely) violent conflicts, the cold specter of another, apocalyptic threat in the form of an army of undead White Walkers expected to breach The Wall and invade the South threatens to undermine the status quo and obliterate the outcome of these smaller, alltoo-human rivalries.

• Dunkirk (Digitally Restored) | Blu Ray | (25/09/2017) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A BRAND NEW RESTORATION Directed by Leslie Norman (The Long, The Short And The Tall), starring John Mills (Ice Cold In Alex, Goodbye Mr Chips, Great Expectations) Richard Attenborough (Brighton Rock, The Great Escape) and a cast featuring actual army officers, DUNKIRK is one of the most authentic representations of conflict during World War II. DUNKIRK follows the dramatic events leading up to Operation Dynamo, where upon the British Army attempted to rescue fellow soldiers and Allied troops from Nazi occupied France. Seen from the dual perspectives of a jaded journalist in search of propaganda and a weary soldier desperately trying to give his troop some hope, DUNKIRK never shies away from the brutality of war and the bravery of its soldiers.

• True Lies | DVD | (01/06/2001) from £4.97   |  Saving you £5.02 (101.01%)   |  RRP £9.99

  From The Terminator to Titanic, you can always rely on writer-director James Cameron to show you something you've never seen on the big screen before. The guy may not consistently pen the most scintillating dialogue in the world (and, especially in this movie, he doesn't seem to have a particularly high regard for women), but as a director of kinetic, push-the-envelope action sequences, he is in a class by himself. In True Lies, the highlight is a breathtaking third-act jet and car chase through the Florida Keys. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a covert intelligence agent whose wife of 15 years (Jamie Lee Curtis) finally finds out that he's not really a computer salesman and who becomes mixed up in a case involving nuclear arms smuggling. Tom Arnold is surprisingly funny and engaging as Schwarzenegger's longtime spy partner, and Bill Paxton is a smarmy used-car salesman whom Arnold thinks is having an affair with his wife. Purely in terms of spectacular action and high-tech hardware, True Lies is a blast. --Jim Emerson, Amazon.com

• Dunkirk (Digitally Restored) | DVD | (25/09/2017) from £8.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A BRAND NEW RESTORATION Directed by Leslie Norman (The Long, The Short And The Tall), starring John Mills (Ice Cold In Alex, Goodbye Mr Chips, Great Expectations) Richard Attenborough (Brighton Rock, The Great Escape) and a cast featuring actual army officers, DUNKIRK is one of the most authentic representations of conflict during World War II. DUNKIRK follows the dramatic events leading up to Operation Dynamo, where upon the British Army attempted to rescue fellow soldiers and Allied troops from Nazi occupied France. Seen from the dual perspectives of a jaded journalist in search of propaganda and a weary soldier desperately trying to give his troop some hope, DUNKIRK never shies away from the brutality of war and the bravery of its soldiers.

• RoboCop UHD | Blu Ray | (18/07/2022) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  RoboCop, from Orion Pictures, marked Flesh + Blood director Paul Verhoeven's Hollywood debut and instantly became an enduring sci-fi/action classic when it landed in theaters in the summer of 1987. Verhoeven's peerlessly exciting and kinetic visuals were matched by a sharp script, iconic cast and exceptional special effects by Rob Bottin (The Thing) and Phil Tippett (The Empire Strikes Back). The film takes place in Detroit in the not-too-distant future. Heroic cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai) is gunned down in the line of duty, only to be resurrected as RoboCop a cybernetic mix of spare human parts and Motor City steel, and the latest defense against crime designed by the all-powerful OCP Corporation. As RoboCop's memories of his former life as Murphy resurface, only his ex-partner (Nancy Allen, Dressed To Kill) stands beside him to fight against the vicious thugs responsible for his death, as well as a nefarious top-level OCP executive orchestrating the chaos from above. Unsurpassably thrilling, unexpectedly moving and unforgettably hilarious in equal measure, the future of law enforcement is back on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray in a restored Director's Cut, packed with hours of brand new bonus features. Product Features 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by MGM, transferred in 2013 and approved by director Paul Verhoeven 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original lossless stereo and four-channel mixes plus DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Dolby Atmos surround sound options Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Commentary by director Paul Verhoeven, executive producer Jon Davison and co-writer Ed Neumeier (originally recorded for the Theatrical Cut and re-edited in 2014 for the Director's Cut) Commentary by film historian Paul M. Sammon Commentary by fans Christopher Griffiths, Gary Smart and Eastwood Allen The Future of Law Enforcement: Creating RoboCop, an interview with co-writer Michael Miner RoboTalk, a conversation between co-writer Ed Neumeier and filmmakers David Birke (writer of Elle) and Nicholas McCarthy (director of Orion Pictures' The Prodigy) Truth of Character, an interview with star Nancy Allen on her role as Lewis Casting Old Detroit, an interview with casting director Julie Selzer on how the film's ensemble cast was assembled Connecting the Shots, an interview with second unit director and frequent Verhoeven collaborator Mark Goldblatt Analog, a featurette focusing on the special photographic effects, including new interviews with Peter Kuran and Kevin Kutchaver More Man Than Machine: Composing RoboCop, a tribute to composer Basil Poledouris featuring film music experts Jeff Bond, Lukas Kendall, Daniel Schweiger and Robert Townson RoboProps, a tour of super-fan Julien Dumont's collection of original props and memorabilia 2012 Q&A with the Filmmakers, a panel discussion featuring Verhoeven, Davison, Neumeier, Miner, Allen, star Peter Weller and animator Phil Tippett RoboCop: Creating A Legend, Villains of Old Detroit, Special Effects: Then & Now, three archive featurettes from 2007 featuring interviews with cast and crew Paul Verhoeven Easter Egg Four deleted scenes The Boardroom: Storyboard with Commentary by Phil Tippett Director's Cut Production Footage, raw dailies from the filming of the unrated gore scenes, presented in 4K (SDR) Two theatrical trailers and three TV spots Extensive image galleries Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper

• Dunkirk | DVD | (20/03/2017) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Directed by Leslie Norman (The Long, The Short And The Tall), starring John Mills (Ice Cold In Alex, Goodbye Mr Chips, Great Expectations) Richard Attenborough (Brighton Rock, The Great Escape) and a cast featuring actual army officers, DUNKIRK is one of the most authentic representations of conflict during World War II. DUNKIRK follows the dramatic events leading up to Operation Dynamo, where upon the British Army attempted to rescue fellow soldiers and Allied troops from Nazi occupied France. Seen from the dual perspectives of a jaded journalist in search of propaganda and a weary soldier desperately trying to give his troop some hope, DUNKIRK never shies away from the brutality of war and the bravery of its soldiers.

• Game of Thrones: Season 4 | Blu Ray | (12/04/2021) from £18.62   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Debts will be paid. The Lannisters' control over the Iron Throne remains intact, but can they survive with the ongoing threats around them? While an unshaken Stannis continues to rebuild his army, a more immediate danger comes from the South as Oberyn Martell, the Lannister-loathing Red Viper of Dorne, arrives at King's Landing. At the Wall, the Night's Watch seems overmatched against Mance Rayder's army of wildlings. Daenerys, accompanied by her fierce trio of dragons, is poised to liberate Meereen, which could provide her with an imposing force to execute her plan of reclaiming the Iron Throne. Special Features Includes over 2 hours of bonus features

• Bohemian Rhapsody | Blu Ray | (04/03/2019) from £8.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Bohemian Rhapsody celebrates the band Queen, their music, and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers ever.

• Baywatch - Hawaiian Reunion | DVD | (03/11/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Baywatch Hawaiian Reunion, like the 11-year television series itself, is a guilty pleasure short on story credibility but long on action, hardbody appeal, and hot passions. The hyperdrive plot finds Mitch Buchannon (David Hasselhoff), presumed dead at the end of season 10, alive and well and in love with a woman named Allison (Alexandra Paul), who bears a spooky resemblance to Mitch's late lover, Stephanie. Wedding plans that include the old Baywatch lifeguard crew (Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth, Billy Warlock, etc.) are set for Hawaii, but in a Wrath of Khan-like twist, a villain (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) from the old show's second season turns up with an elaborate plan to kidnap and endanger Mitch's guests. The script is shameless, of course, but the outré element is fun to watch, including a subplot in which Mitch's former wife (Gena Lee Nolin)--suspicious of Allison's true motives--gets into a spectacular catfight with her ex's new lady.--Tom Keogh

• Game of Thrones - Season 1-7 | Blu Ray | (11/12/2017) from £77.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Season 1 Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plots, lusts and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men...all will play the 'Game of Thrones.' A new original series based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. Season 2 The Battle continues in Westeros with feuding families and power hungry rulers. Five Kings vie for a single, all-powerful throne in the all-new season of Game of Thrones an epic story of duplicity and treachery, nobility and honour, conquest and triumph. Season 2 plays out against the backdrop of a fast-approaching winter. In King's Landing, the coveted Iron Throne is occupied by cruel young Joffrey, counseled by his conniving mother Cersei and uncle Tyrion. But the Lannister hold on the Throne is under assault on many fronts. There's Robb Stark, son of the slain Lord of Winterfell, Ned Stark; Daenerys Targaryen, who looks to shore up her depleted power through three newborn dragons; Stannis Baratheon, eldest brother of the late King Robert; and Stannis' brother Renly, who has maintained his own claim since fleeing King's Landing. In the meantime, a new leader is rising among the wildlings North of the Wall, adding new perils for Jon Snow and the Night's Watch. With tensions and treaties, animosity and alliances, Season 2 of Game of Thrones promises to be a thrilling journey through a riveting, unforgettable landscape. Season 3 In Season 3, family and loyalty will be the overarching themes, and many critical plot points from the first two seasons will come to a violent head, with several major characters meeting cruel fates. While a primary focus continues to be on King's Landing, where the Lannisters barely held onto power after a savage naval onslaught from Stannis Baratheon (brother of the late king), stirrings in the North threaten to alter the overall balance of power in Westeros. Robb Stark, King of the North, will face a major calamity in his efforts to build on his victories over the Lannisters in Season 2, while further north, Mance Rayder (new character, played by Ciarán Hinds) and his huge army of wildlings continue their inexorable march south to scale the Wall. Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen reunited with her three deadly, fast-maturing dragons attempts to raise an army of slaves to sail with her from Essos, in hopes of eventually overthrowing the Iron Throne. Season 4 As Season 4 begins, the Lannisters' hold on the Iron Throne remains intact in the wake of the Red Wedding slaughter that wiped out many of their Stark nemeses. But can they survive their own egos as well as new and ongoing threats? Meanwhile, an unbowed Stannis Baratheon continues to rebuild his army; the Lannister-loathing ˜Red Viper of Dorne,' Oberyn Martell, arrives at King's Landing for Joffrey's wedding to Margaery Tyrell; Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons and unsullied force aim to liberate the largest Slavery City in the east...with long-range plans to take back the Iron Throne; and a depleted Night's Watch faces the advance of Mance Rayder's wildling army, who are in turn running from the undead White Walkers. Season 5 After the shocking deaths of S4, the season begins with a power vacuum that protagonists across Westeros and Essos look to fill. At Castle Black, Jon Snow struggles to balance the demands of the Night's Watch with those of newly-arrived Stannis Baratheon, who styles himself as the rightful king of Westeros. Meanwhile, Cersei scrabbles to hold on to power in Kings Landing amidst the Tyrells and the rise of a religious group led by the enigmatic High Sparrow, while Jaimie embarks on a secret mission. Across the Narrow Sea, Arya seeks an old friend while a fugitive Tyrion finds a new cause. And as danger mounts in Meereen, Daenerys Targaryen finds that her tenuous hold on the city requires some hard sacrifices. Season 6 Following the shocking developments at the conclusion of season five, including Jon Snow's bloody fate at the hands of Castle Black mutineers, Daenerys' near-demise at the fighting pits of Meereen, and Cersei's public humiliation in the streets of King's Landing, survivors from all parts of Westeros and Essos regroup to press forward, inexorably, towards their uncertain individual fates. Familiar faces will forge new alliances to bolster their strategic chances at survival, while new characters will emerge to challenge the balance of power in the east, west, north and south. Season 7 As the season begins, Daenerys Targaryen, accompanied by her Unsullied army and emboldened by Dothraki/Ironborn allies and her lethal trio of dragons, has finally set sail for Westeros with Tyrion Lannister, her newly appointed Hand. Jon Snow, memorably reanimated in S6, has apparently consolidated power in the North after his spectacular conquest of Ramsay Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards and the return of Winterfell to Stark control. In King's Landing, Cersei Lannister, bereft of any surviving heirs, has successfully seized the Iron Throne by using wildfire to incinerate the High Sparrow and other foes in the Sept of Baelor. But as these and other factions drive inexorably towards new alliances or (more likely) violent conflicts, the cold specter of another, apocalyptic threat in the form of an army of undead White Walkers expected to breach The Wall and invade the South threatens to undermine the status quo and obliterate the outcome of these smaller, alltoo-human rivalries.

• Night Of The Big Heat | DVD | (28/07/2014) from £9.45   |  Saving you £3.54 (37.46%)   |  RRP £12.99

  While mainland Britain shivers in deepest winter the northern island of Fara bakes in the nineties. The boys at the Met station have no more idea what is going on than the regulars at the Swan pub. Only a stand-offish visiting scientist suspects aliens are to blame. Meanwhile the new secretary to the local best-selling author is raising the temperature in her own way...

• Robert | DVD | (24/08/2015) from £14.49   |  Saving you £-4.50 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  After Paul and Jenny part company with their sinister housekeeper Agatha, the disgruntled former employee gives a vintage doll called Robert to their son Gene. Soon after Agatha's departure, strange events begin plaguing the household. Furniture is vandalised, objects are thrown around and maniacal giggles echo through the house in the middle of the night. But nobody believes Gene when he claims Robert is to blame for the disturbances. Paul and Jenny consider the possibility that a supernatural force has taken over their home. But as the occurrences escalate they discover that it's not the house that's haunted... it's the doll.

• Alice's Restaurant | DVD | (15/09/2003) from £12.46   |  Saving you £0.53 (4.25%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Arthur Penn's chronicle of hippie life during the late 1960s garnered the acclaimed director his second Oscar nomination. Based on the song by folk music troubadour Arlo Guthrie son of legendary ""Dust Bowl"" balladeer Woody Guthrie this tribute film to ""the last generation"" features memorable scenes with other folk artists like Pete Seeger who join Arlo in song to make a profound statement about war protest and change. In the late '60s a changing social and political climate inspi

• SILVERADO (BLU-RAY) - VARIOUS | Blu Ray | (17/09/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Silverado | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Director Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill) clearly set out to make an old-fashioned Western, but he couldn't help bringing a hip, self-conscious attitude to the proceedings. Silverado thus finds its own funky tone--sometimes rousing, sometimes winking. Four cowboys--Kevin Kline (a distinctly modern kind of Western hero), Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, and the rowdy young Kevin Costner--converge on a little Western burg called Silverado. Kasdan peppers the somewhat generic action with smart dialogue and a parade of quirky supporting players, including John Cleese as a sheriff who seems to have stepped straight from a Monty Python sketch into an Old West saloon. Bruce Broughton supplies the music, a real throwback to the glory days of thundering Western themes. One thing's for sure: Silverado's a lot more fun than the later Kasdan-Costner Western, Wyatt Earp. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com

• An Affair To Remember | DVD | (18/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Get out your handkerchiefs for this four-star weepie, a 1957 remake of the 1939 Love Affair, directed by Leo McCarey, who also made the original. Grant and Kerr are strangers on an ocean liner, involved with other people, who can't resist each other for a shipboard romance. But they decide to test whether this is the real thing by agreeing to split up, then meeting in six months atop the Empire State Building. Is there anyone who can resist that set-up or the tragic romantic mishap that nearly splits them up? Can you keep dry eyes during the famous finale? Some prefer the original (with Charles Boyer); practically no one liked the underrated 1994 remake with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. While occasionally a shade slow, this one soars on Grant's charm and Kerr's noble suffering. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.com

• Night Of The Big Heat | Blu Ray | (29/07/2024) from £12.74   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A scorching picture from 1967, Night of the Big Heat is a sweat-inducing shocker based on the 1957 novel from John Lymington. The remote island of Fara is experiencing a stifling heat wave in the middle of winter, causing life, as the locals know it, to come to a halt. Tensions rise as the heat increases plus a high-pitched tone of unknown origin is incinerating the villagers. Directed by Hammer favourite, Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee alongside chisel jawed Patrick Allen, Night of the Big Heat is sizzling British sci-fi at its most intense.

• Peggy Sue Got Married | DVD | (05/05/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Francis Ford Coppola's passable 1986 comedy stars Kathleen Turner as an unhappy, middle-aged woman who goes back in time to her high school years and meets her future husband (Nicolas Cage) all over again. A lightweight entry from Coppola, the film has some clever, backward-looking jokes; and the lead actress does bring intelligence and searching emotions to her role. Cage (Coppola's nephew)--who specialised in these dumb-guy roles back then (see Raising Arizona)--is in sharp, raw form. Worth a visit, but don't expect to be bowled over this time by the legendary director.--Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• Donovan's Reef | DVD | (06/06/2005) from £7.05   |  Saving you £12.94 (183.55%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Life on a South Pacific island for two ex-Navy buddies is just about perfect. That is until a beautiful straight-laced Bostonian arrives on the island in search of her father...

• The Last Detail | DVD | (05/08/2002) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-7.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The Last Detail nearly didn't get a release. Columbia, for whom it was made, was alarmed by the movie's barrage of profanity and resented the unorthodox working style of its director, Hal Ashby, who loathed producers and made no secret of it. Only when the film picked up a Best Actor Award for Jack Nicholson at Cannes did the studio reluctantly grant it a release--with minimal promotion--to widespread critical acclaim. Nicholson, in one of his best roles, plays "Bad-ass" Buddusky, a naval petty officer detailed, along with his black colleague "Mule" Mulhall (Otis Young), to escort an offender from Virginia to the harsh naval prison at Portsmouth, NH. The miscreant is a naïve youngster, Meadows (Randy Quaid), who's been given eight years for stealing $40 from his CO's wife's favourite charity. The escorts, at first cynically detached, soon start feeling sorry for Meadows and decide to show him a good time in his last few days of freedom. Ashby, a true son of 60s counterculture, avidly abets the anti-authoritarian tone of Robert Towne's script. Meadows is a sad victim of the system--but so too are Buddusky and Mulhall, as they gradually come to realise. A lot of the film is very funny. Nicholson gets to do one of his classic psychotic outbursts--"I am the fucking shore patrol!"--and there are some pungent scenes of male bonding pushed to the verge of desperation. But the overall tone is melancholy, pointed up by the jaunty military marches on the soundtrack. Shot amid bleak, wintry landscapes, in buses and trains and grey urban streets, The Last Detail is a film of constant, compulsive movement going nowhere--a powerful, finely acted study of institutional claustrophobia. On the DVD: The Last Detail disc doesn't have much in the way of extras. There are abbreviated filmographies for Ashby, Nicholson and Quaid (though not for Young) and a trailer for A Few Good Men (1992). The mono sound comes up well in Dolby Digital, and the transfer preserves DoP Michael Chapman's subtle, subfusc palette and the 1.85:1 ratio of the original. --Philip Kemp