The Films of Jack Nicholson: Part 1

Discovering Jack Nicholson as an actor beyond the roles of Batman or A Few Good Men, both of which were solid and entertaining, was probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I won’t go as far as to say that seeing films like The Last Detail and Chinatown changed my life (even though they probably have), but I would be in some serious self-denial if I said that they weren’t two of the finest films ever made, largely due to Nicholson’s distinctive flair for being both a b****rd and your best friend at the same time.

There are subtleties in his performances which can steal the show; such as a look, a smile or his disbelieving/sarcastic tone which are done with such ease it leaves you feeling secure in the fact that at least one person out there in the world knows what he’s doing. There is so much to say about this man (and there are already a couple of autobiographies on him which attempt to sum him up) that it’s difficult to know how to begin. This is the kind of post I have wanted to write for a while and in some ways I’m afraid of doing so because it won’t do nearly as much justice for my admiration for him as I would wish it to. Anyway here it goes, in no particular order, the films of Jack Nicholson.

The Last Detail – 1973

The Last Detail is a film directed by Hal Ashby; who also helmed the maudlin love-story Harold and Maude and the charmingly amusing Being There; and adapted from novel to screen by Robert Towne, who also wrote the film Chinatown which Nicholson would later star in. The basic plot of the film is of two sailors by the name of Mulhall (Otis Young) and Buddusky (Jack Nicholson), who preferred to be called by their nicknames Mule and Bad Ass respectively, who are to take a third sailor called Meadows (Randy Quaid) to the brig (jail) because he tried to steal some money.

Initially Mule and Bad Ass are reluctant to go on any ‘shit detail’ but when they find out they are to be ‘chasers’ they see it as an opportunity to get away from the base and have some fun.  After they meet Meadows and learn more about him, they feel pity for this kid (he’s only 18) and so decide to show him a good time by taking him for some food, drinking some beers and getting drunk, and taking him to a ‘cathouse’ (brothel); before they take him to be imprisoned.

The main crux of the film is turning the meek, scared and naïve Meadows into a more confident and tough man by giving him these experiences. It is Bad Ass who takes the role of being his mentor in the ways of life, teaching him to enjoy the simple things it has to offer such as a good beer and helping him to stand up for himself. One memorable scene, of which there are many, is when the guys end up drinking their beers in the hotel room and Meadow’s asks Buddusky why he got so mad at a bartender earlier who refused to serve them. By this point they are pretty wasted and Buddusky just about drools the words “hey, don’t you ever get mad at nobody?” The conversation ends with Buddusky cajoling Meadows into hitting him to get some release but he refuses and so Bad Ass proceeds to go ape on the furniture.

Nicholson really does do it all in this role as his fluctuating and excitable temperament takes him from being a composed and conscientious adviser, to a hyperactive fun-loving hero, to a manic-psychotic animal to a state where he exhales sentiment and indifference in the same breath. From his initial introduction and his general state of conduct it is wonderful to see his anti-authoritarian, renegade character take such delight in seeing Meadows have a good time.

As the film draws to an end you can see that Buddusky has a genuine concern for Meadows and is worried about what will happen to him in jail. This film, if anything teaches you to not discount someone because of their hard-exterior as they can often be the ones who show the greatest kindness. The Last Detail explodes with personality and is much more than just a kick back and enjoy yourself kind of film. There is some serious character profiling here whereby each sailor has his own unique style and history and it is interesting to see how they react and bounce off each others anger, opinions and pride.

Chinatown – 1974

Just a year later Nicholson starred in the private eye throwback with a staggering finish, Chinatown, directed by the master of making you feel frustrated and betrayed Roman Polanski (see also Rosemary’s Baby and Frantic) and written by Robert Towne (who as I mentioned also wrote the screenplay for The Last Detail). Here we have Nicholson playing a private investigator named Jake Gittes who is drawn, somewhat deceptively into a myriad case whereby he must find out the culprit behind a murder that has been linked with conspiracy theories within bureaucracy but that run deeper and become more twisted than the viewer can possibly imagine.

What initially starts as an authentic, no fuss gumshoe investigation, spirals into grim and sensitive subject matter that makes Chinatown impossible to categorize. So what does Jack Nicholson bring to the table as opposed to say someone like Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon of whom you can tell Gitte’s character is loosely based on? There is a scene nearing the end of Chinatown where Gitte’s slaps around and speedily interrogates Mrs.Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), mimicking the final scene between Sam Spade and Brigid O’Shaughnessy. Firstly I think it is Nicholson’s ability to put people at ease, making them feel as though they're in an environment where they can be frank without fear of judgment. This isn’t a characteristic that is present just because it was written on a piece of paper, but is something that is carried by the actor. Whether it was Gitte’s comforting, with a pragmatic tone, the betrayal of a husband by his wife or him laying all the cards on the table and methodically running an operation. Chinatown allowed for Nicholson to express and indulge in his charismatic side with more charm rather than arrogance (such as in The Last Detail) and gave him more control over his emotions which made the character more intriguing as Gittes is not an ordinary PI, detached from emotion, but is in fact a man who has been traumatized by certain events that transpired when he used to work in Chinatown.

Finally I’d like to just mention Nicholson’s ability to tell a joke which shines in a scene which magically shows his transition of being in a foul mood one moment to smiling like he would soon after do as Jack Napier. He had just been insulted by someone attacking the way he makes a living when his friend soothes him by telling him a joke. The following scene shows Gittes bursting into his office, eager to retell the joke to his colleagues. The joke is a good one but is amplified with happy factor by the enthusiastic and dynamic way in which Nicholson tells it. 

What are you waiting for, go, now, and see these films before you get hit by a bus.

Nathan
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