A sailor is being sent to prison for 8 yrs for stealing money from a charity box. (highly unlikely even if the admirals wife did support the charity) 2 more sailors who are in transit/transients are told to escort him across country to prison. (again, unlikely. Military police would do this, they would have their own transport and would be allowed access other military transports to take him across country so he would be flown on the 1st available plane to where ever he was going).
They are issued sidearms and rounds (again, very unlikely. the prisoner has not been violent, not committed a violent crime. just a misdemeanor). By the time the arrested sailor is on the train it's obvious he's a kleptomaniac. The questions Jack Nicolson asks him also point to that fact (he said he'd been a shop lifter as a civilian). I don't understand why the prisoner wasn't hand-cuffed to their table on the train to stop him running.
Both Nicolson and his partner come to the conclusion that their prisoner is crazy. After the incident in the bar, it's clear Nicolson is crazy. The group dynamic changes during the 2nd train journey when Nicolsons partner lays down the law and the rules, becoming the authority figure refusing to take Nicolson's antics. The fight in the train station bathroom seemed a bit of a last minute idea and I couldn't really see the point of it and didn't see why the black sailor didn't go mad at Nicolson for pulling another stunt.
The film devolves into the classic road trip/journey of discovery movie. The 2 sailors showing their prisoner one final last good time before 8 years in prison for a crime he hasn't actually committed. By the 3rd train journey the prisoner is becoming more and more like Nicolson's character. During the sequence in the snowy park you know Meadows (the prisoner) is going to try and run from his guards. That scene almost suggested one of the 2 guards was going to tell Meadows to run anyway.
Meadows is handed over at the prison and the 2 guards are given a dressing down for his appearance and accused of hitting him and implying the prisoner tried to escape (which he had) but the 2 guards covered for him knowing he would get extra time. The Marine officer also tries to pull some con either to do with their pay or the legal status of the prisoner.
There is no actual ending of this film with Nicolson and his partner walking away from the prison and bitching about discipline. the storyline with Meadows is not really resolved, of how long he will spend in prison.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment