Witness

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

The title of this 1985 film directed by Peter Weir suggests both secular and religious meanings of the word “witness.” On the one hand a witness may testify as to observing actions in association with a legal investigation. On the other hand, an individual may go public by bearing witness to one’s religious faith or conviction. Both meanings pertain here. This story depicts how two worlds clash, and the question posed is whether the characters from those different societies are better for having encountered each other.

The first image is one of fields, calm, pastoral, implying innocence, as in the Garden of Eden. We know that we are in Amish country by observing the horse-and-buggy transportation and the old-fashioned manner of the dress of the inhabitants. We are told we are in Pennsylvania in 1984. The fact that these people still often speak a foreign language, dress differently, and avoid modern technology after so many generations of having lived in the United States demonstrates how much they want to remain separate from American culture. The emphasis on community among these people is stressed immediately as a large number of the Amish are attending and contributing food at a funeral gathering. Even in death, the community is present to support each other. And contrary to some misconceived notions, these people have a sense of humor. Some of the men there talk about how the deceased, Jacob, was not a good horse trader, pointing out that the father of one of the men in attendance, Daniel Hochleitner (Alexander Godunov) sold Jacob an animal with one testicle. Daniel counters with, “That horse had one good ball. That’s all it takes!” The deceased, Jacob, was the husband of Rachel (Kelly McGillis) and Daniel goes out of his way to offer his sympathies, but he is wasting no time in showing he has a romantic interest in Rachel.

There is a shot of a slow-moving buggy carrying Rachel, her son Samuel (Lukas Haas), and his grandfather, Eli (Jan Rubes) to emphasize their pace of living as they leave their community. Behind them, in contrast, are a truck and car that must decrease the speed of their journey, probably seeing these off-the-grid people as impediments to their progress. The quick scene illustrates how the Amish culture is out of step compared to the American civilization at large, and is in no hurry to catch up to what they consider to be its dangerous ways. The family is now heading to the bustling population of Philadelphia as Samuel will be visiting the city for the first time. Daniel shows up and tells Samuel he will see many things, but he doesn’t say it in an ominous way, most likely understanding the boy’s natural excitement encountering something new. As it turns out, he will see some horrifying things. Daniel gives him a gift, a carved wooden replica of a cow, which is sort of a reminder of the world of nature he comes from. The grandfather tells the departing Rachel and Samuel to be careful among “the English,” as if there is a denial of all the time that has passed since the Amish first arrived and the changes that occurred which constitute current American society. Those outside of the Amish community are still thought of as foreigners.

At the Philadelphia train station people are condescending, the different Amish appearance fostering a sense of separateness, as people comment on how “cute” Samuel looks. To the city’s residents, the boy’s oddness classifies him as an object to be looked at in a museum, not as someone who can exist among them. In that way, the population at large adds to the division between the two groups that the Amish seek. Rachel has a three-hour layover before going to Baltimore. The curious Samuel plays with the water fountain, and starts to wander, thinking he sees a similarly dressed man who may be Amish. He turns out to be a Hassidic Jewish man, which shows that outward appearances can be deceiving, as we later learn about the criminal act that is to occur. Samuel sees a huge religious statue, entitled the “Angel of Resurrection,” which depicts Michael the Archangel lifting up a fallen soldier. Although religious in nature, the sculpture is a sort of joining of the concepts of church and state by showing the spiritual redemption of one who sacrificed himself in war for his country, a concept that is not part of the Amish belief system, since they see themselves as not owing military allegiance to the land in which they reside.

Samuel goes into the men’s restroom and enters a stall. He passes by a young man there who appears frightened. Two other men enter. One, Fergie (Angus MacGinnes), puts a hood over the frightened man’s head and the other, Officer McFee (Danny Glover) cuts his throat with a knife. They make it look like a mugging, taking items from his pockets. McFee is cool, taking time to wash his hands. Samuel saw what happened and lets out a stifled sound. McFee investigates, but Samuel, although an innocent in this fallen world, is quick enough to move from one stall to another, grabbing his hat just in time so as not to be seen, and stands on the toilet so his legs are not visible.

The police arrive after the killing is reported. Policeman John Book (Harrison Ford) tells Samuel that the man who was killed was a policeman, and he wants Samuel to tell him everything he saw. Samuel said there were two men, but he only saw the face of one of them. Samuel points out that the man looks like Book’s partner, Carter (Brent Jennings), who is black. But Samuel is so ingrained in farm life that he uses a Pennsylvania Dutch word for “runt of the litter,” to distinguish Carter, who is small, from McFee, who is large. This exchange again stresses the divide between the cultures. They take Rachel and Samuel in a police car to hopefully identify a suspect. Rachel is indignant, saying they have no right to cart them around. Book (whose name can imply doing things by the “book,” and thus according to secular law) says that he does, since Samuel is a material witness in a homicide investigation. Rachel says they don’t want anything to do with their laws. Book’s remark is “Doesn’t surprise me,” which is a satiric reflection on the sad state of the legal system by one of its own. When Book tries to introduce himself, Rachel, fearing moral contamination in proximity to outside society, says that they don’t need to know his name or anything about him.

Instead of setting up a formal line-up, they drive to a club, and Book manhandles a black man and shoves his face into the car window, asking Samuel if he recognizes the man. Book’s actions are insensitive concerning Samuel’s situation, and Rachel is incensed at having her son exposed to the violence of the “English” world. Samuel says the man was not the person in the restroom. Book decides to take them to stay with his sister Elaine (Patti Lupone). It appears he is concerned Rachel will escape if they are placed in a hotel. Book, preoccupied with the requirements of his job, seems unsympathetic to the feelings of others as he disrupts the lives of those around him. It’s interesting that the secular Book (whose name also suggests “The Good Book,” although Book does not particularly follow the bible’s teachings despite wanting to do the right thing) exhibits moral indignation that his sister has a man in the house while her two children are there. Elaine doesn't want to hear his “holier than thou” speech, which does suggest there may be a hint of the religious existing in Book’s nature.

The next day Samuel participates in a typical lineup at the police station. He doesn’t recognize any of the suspects. They go to a luncheonette and Book feels awkward as he does not say prayers before eating. Rachel is quite frank, having no experience with editing the truth, and says in a detached way what Elaine told her, probably in confidence. Book’s sister said Book has no family, so he parents Elaine’s children instead. She thinks Book is “afraid of the responsibility” of having his own family. Elaine also told her that he thinks he likes to be a policeman because he is in control and feels that he is always right, the other cops being inept. Book is speechless at this outpouring of personal information from a stranger, not something he is accustomed to in his world. When Samuel burps while eating his hot dog, he does not have to excuse himself. Instead Rachel says, “good appetite,” like it’s a normal bodily act after eating, which highlights in a small way the difference in the cultures.

At the precinct, Book shows Samuel mugshots. A pretty female office tempts Samuel with a chocolate chip cookie (an Eve reference as to the temptations of the material world?). A criminal handcuffed to a chair gets Samuel to approach him, but then rattles his cuffs, getting a thrill out of scaring Samuel. The scene shows how alien and upsetting this world can be to the innocent young boy. Samuel recognizes McFee, (a name suggesting money is at the heart of his character), a narcotics officer, in a newspaper picture in the police station. McFee, a killer, is ironically honored for his actions in connection with a youth project. One can’t always tell a book from its cover, with Book being the exception here. Book covers Samuel’s finger as he points to the picture, realizing he must protect his witness from his own organization. As the story proceeds, Book becomes the one ethical person fighting corruption, as did the main character noted in Serpico a couple of weeks ago.

Book goes to the home of his boss, Paul Schaeffer (Josef Sommer), to maintain secrecy, and tells him the boy identified McFee. There was a drug raid which supposedly confiscated a supply of the substance called P2P, worth $22 million, which is used to make methamphetamine. When Book checked into the case, he found there was no P2P in the inventory. Since McFee ran the operation, and now he is identified in a killing involving the death of a policeman, Book believes the two cases are related. Book tells Schaeffer that Samuel is staying with his sister and they are the only two who know about it.

As Book goes to the elevator in his sister’s apartment building, McFee shows up and starts shooting at him. Book escapes but knows he must hide Rachel and Samuel. He tells his sister to deny knowing anything about the Amish people and to say that Book just wanted to borrow her car. They drive off, with Book admitting that he was wrong about how he, representing the law, could keep her safe in his city, Philadelphia, the birthplace of American laws. He stops to call Carter, and since he knows that Schaeffer is involved, having given McFee information about Samuel staying at Elaine’s place. Book tells Carter to get rid of all the information about Rachel and Samuel so Schaeffer and McFee can’t find them. From the documents the partner removes, we know that Samuel lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Schaeffer, McFee, and Fergie break into Book’s car, and McFee finds a towel that shows blood on it, establishing that McFee wounded Book. Schaeffer tries to intimidate Elaine, but Schaeffer realizes that she doesn’t know where Book took Rachel and Samuel. Book drops Rachel and Samuel off at their farm. He tells Rachel there won’t be a trial, knowing, as did Serpico, that there is no one to protect the people when those who are supposed to uphold the laws begin to break them. Book tries to drive off, but his wound overcomes him, and he crashes. He doesn't want to go to a hospital since the gunshot wound will be reported, and the crooked cops will find him, and Samuel, as well.

In this case, Book, a man from a large, socially interconnected culture, is in the best place given the need for secrecy because the Amish are used to being cut off from outside society and are mostly self-sufficient. The man they call, Stoltzfus (Frederick Rolf) says he is not a doctor, but prescribes a salve and medicinal teas. Eli worries that they will be charged under the laws of Book’s world (like it’s a foreign land) if they are discovered. Stoltzfus says he must speak with the elders since the effects of the actions of individuals on the community as a whole are the primary concern in the Amish settlement. Rachel nurses Book through delirious fevers brought on by infection. In a way, she is exchanging her hospitality for the one supplied by Book’s sister, and as she administers to him, she becomes more attached emotionally.

Schaeffer calls the Lancaster police department but gets little help since so many Amish people are named Lapp (Rachel’s last name). When Schaeffer suggests telephoning, the policeman jokingly says who should he call since the Amish don’t have phones. Schaeffer sarcastically thanks the cop for the “education,” but the short scene emphasizes how the Amish live in a very different, separate world within the larger society surrounding them. When Book wakes up there are a number of serious looking men, the community’s leadership, staring at him, his predicament being of public concern. To us, this culture seems alien, and we feel the way Book does, like their presence is an invasion of privacy since he is in bed. Rachel says that they didn’t know what they would have done with him if he died. She sounds like he is just a problem that the community would have to deal with, as opposed to worrying about his loss as a human being. It shows the Amish emotional detachment from mainstream society. The elders, as they leave, say they want Book to depart as soon as possible, hoping for the threat of his presence to vanish quickly.

Not being familiar with the danger of firearms, and letting his curiosity control him, Samuel takes Book’s pistol out of a drawer. Luckily, Book sees the boy and has him freeze immediately, taking the gun, and telling him how dangerous it is. His gruff manner probably reveals Book’s guilt that he allowed the boy to find the pistol. He takes the bullets out and then says he can now safely handle it. Unfortunately, just having him hold it is against Amish beliefs, and Rachel walks in on them. She demands that he shows respect for their ways, and Book quickly agrees, telling her to take the gun and bullets and put them where Samuel will not find them.

Alone with Samuel, and with the gun and bullets on the table, Eli tells boy that the weapon is meant to take human life and they “believe it is wrong to take life. That is only for God.” Eli says that wars have occurred and the government has asked the Amish to fight, saying it was the only way to preserve what is good. But, Eli says there is always more than one way. When he asks Samuel if he would ever kill someone, Samuel says only a “bad man.” Eli asks how can he tell a bad man by looking at him, (more about appearances being deceiving) and how can one see what is in the man’s heart and mind? Samuel says he can see bad actions, and he has seen that, as he is referring to the train station. Eli says by seeing the badness you become part of it, and what he takes into his hands (the gun) he takes into his “heart.” Eli’s lesson preaches total separation, as if just being in the outside society that contains evil makes one evil. It does not allow for a person like Book, who tries to fight the wrongdoing from within the tainted culture. Eli quotes scripture by saying be “separate” and stay away from the “unclean” thing, that is, the gun. He shows how the Amish use what is in the bible to justify their removal from the general society, as opposed to allowing one to be exposed to wrongdoing, rejecting it, and opposing it.

Rachel gives Book her husband’s clothes, which for Book seems awkward. From a practical point of view, Rachel is glad they can be put to some use. Book’s clothes have blood on them, and while wearing the Amish clothes he will not stand out, which means his individuality is muted. She talks about how the clothes counter vanity, advocating how their dress is “plain.” She comments on how tourists come right up into their yards, being very rude, and just stare at them. She says that they think they are “quaint” which Book, still out of his element, jokes, “Can’t imagine why they’d think that.” He insists that he go with Eli and Samuel to town so he can make a phone call.

Rachel laughs when she sees Book in Amish clothes, as if the look just doesn’t fit his personality. But the laughter stops when he asks for his gun. When he wonders if he looks Amish she nods and says he looks “plain,” which is a compliment in her community, but would be an insult in any American city. In town, Book calls Carter, who says it’s too “hot” for him to come back to Philadelphia. Carter looks very nervous and scared. Back at the farm, Book gives the bullets back to Rachel as she cans fruit, and jokingly says don’t put them in the peaches. She is attracted to his sense of humor.

Samuel likes Book and maybe sees him as a father substitute. He takes Book around the farm, showing him how the water wheel works and listening to the echoes heard in the grain silo (a foreshadowing of what’s to come). He even introduces him to his cats. Book, from the world of machines, tries to get his broken car to start. Eli says Book can help him milk, but that means getting up at 4:40 in the morning. Eli tells him to squeeze the utter, and Eli says that it looks as if Book never had his hand on a teat before. Book jokes by saying, “not one this big,” which elicits a huge laugh from Eli, showing that his people are interested in a good joke. He finally gets some milk from the cow, as he begins his initiation in the workday of the Amish. They eat a big meal, but Book says he is not used to eating “in the middle of the night.” Eli says he’s not used to working hard which builds an appetite. Eli has a desk chair that he glides back and forth to the stove, which is a funny juxtaposition making it look as if he is adapting a piece of American society for his purposes. To show how he’s not in sync with where he is, Book takes a sip of the coffee and imitates a TV commercial by saying, “Honey now that’s great coffee.” They don’t know what he’s talking about since they don’t watch TV, and also the use of the term “honey,” is too familiar.

Daniel meets Book, and sees him as a threat to the community and to his romantic plans concerning Rachel. Since he knocked over the birdhouse on his first day after being shot, Book tries to repair it since Eli said he could use his tools. Rachel brings him some lemonade and he drinks it down in one gulp, which seems to impress Rachel. Besides carpentry she asks if has other skills. He repeats what she said about how, as a policeman, she feared that he was used to “whacking” people. He now says he is good at “whacking” people, and she smiles, as they indulge in a bit of flirting.

The next scene is at night, establishing a romantic setting, as Rachel holds a flashlight for Book as he works on the car. She says that Eli thinks that he should attend the next barn raising, and he responds only if he is still there. She looks a bit disappointed thinking about him leaving, as she has become used to his male presence following the loss of her husband. He gets the radio working and the song that plays is Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” (chosen by Ford), which is appropriately Amish, because it talks about not needing to know anything worldly, only love. They dance, and Rachel and he laugh, which does not happen much during her workday. They do not kiss but come close. Eli interrupts them, and Rachel says she has committed no sin. He warns maybe not yet, but she may. By letting Book into their lives, Eli argues there is the dangerous chance that others looking for Book will come with their guns. He says that she may be shunned, meaning Eli can’t go to worship with her, can’t eat at the same table, and can’t receive anything offered from her hand. Their rules are harsh if there is any individuality expressed that deviates from the community’s dictates. She is defiant in almost a feminist way, saying that she is not a child, and he shames himself by not respecting her behavior.

Schaeffer talks with Carter saying the police are a cult, like the Amish, a club, with their own set of rules, and Book broke them just as Carter is breaking them by not disclosing where Book and Samuel are. Schaeffer’s “cult” consists here of banding together to do harmful and illegal actions. This scene contrasts with the next one which shows a barn raising where the Amish men work together to do something beneficial by building a barn for a neighbor as the women provide food and drink, in stereotypical sexist fashion. Daniel, smiling but with menace behind his words and sometimes in his looks, asks how Book is feeling. Since he says he is doing well, Daniel says he will be able to go home soon, his departure coming none too soon for him.  Everyone sings at the end of the day and Book is introduced to the man and woman whose barn they built. They were just married, so Book can appreciate the good act performed by the community, and of which he was a part.

Book is sexually aroused as he watches Rachel through a door taking a sponge bath. The rain outside adds to the wet, clean sexuality of the scene. Rachel turns, facing Book, revealing her naked breasts, in a type of wordless, open, unembarrassed invitation to join her. But it is Book’s shame coming from the fallen world which brings embarrassment to Rachel. He looks away, and finds that he can’t cross the line between their two worlds in such an intimate way, worried about the repercussions to both of their lives. He sees her the next day, and they are physically and figuratively separated by a fence. He sums up the impact on their getting involved by saying that if they had made love, he would either have to stay or she would have to leave, and neither of them is prepared to do deal with that.

In a confrontation with tourists, onlookers rudely approach the Amish, wanting pictures of them. Book makes a phone call to contact Carter and finds out he’s been killed in the line of fire. Book then calls Schaeffer and tells him he’s now out to get him, not the other way around. Book is in an angry state, and moves toward a confrontation with some people making fun of Daniel and Moses (Viggo Mortensen). Eli says it’s not their way, but Book says it’s his way, and that sums up the differences between the pacifist and aggressive lifestyles indicative of their two cultures. Some may get satisfaction from what Book does, and it may hinder further harassment, but it is morally repugnant to the Amish person to resort to physical violence. Book explodes and breaks the nose of a harassing young man. It’s implied that it’s bad for the local businesses since tourists won’t come if they encounter resistance from the Amish to the visitor’s intrusive, belittling ways. The fact that an Amish fought back gets back to the local police and we assume that Schaeffer gets wind of the commotion.

Eli tells Rachel that Book is leaving the next day because he belongs in his world, even though Rachel says that there is nothing for him in that life. She probably feels she can give him more than the job he temporarily left behind. She sees him securing the birdhouse he rebuilt, which is a sort of symbol of his reaching the end of his stay. She comes out to the field and they kiss passionately, knowing that it is their romantic goodbye.

Over the hill, danger comes in the form of the three policemen who have tracked Book down. Book’s violent outburst brought more violence to this land of pacifism, a sort of demonic invasion into the Eden of these people. It is misty out, befitting the shady doings of these criminals. They break into Rachel’s house without warning. Eli shouts out to Book just before he is hit and knocked down. Book tells Samuel to run. Book climbs up the ladder of the silo and drops all the grain on the searching Fergie, burying him. Samuel comes back to the house, but Schaeffer doesn’t see him. Eli gives him a yanking signal. Book goes into the silo and retrieves Fergie’s rifle just in time to shoot McFee. Samuel is ringing the house bell that is an alarm that calls the community. Schaeffer has the gun pointed at Rachel’s head and gets Book to release his weapon.

But with all of the locals assembled there, Book asks what is Schaeffer going to do? Shoot all of them? There are too many people, so many witnesses to his violence and law breaking. Schaeffer stands down. The story implies that when non-aggressive people comprise the overwhelming majority of the population and won’t tolerate injustice, they can stop the violence.

In the last scene, Book and Rachel feel they must do what they can in their own worlds. They look at each other in silence as they part, their smiles showing that they know that they gave the best part of themselves to each other for a brief time.  Eli says that Book should be careful out there “among them English.” Since the “English” are the “others” for Book, too, now, he is considered part of the Amish community. As he leaves Daniel walks toward Rachel’s home, telling us he will probably be her future husband, which may be the right choice, unfortunately, given the conflicting state of the two worlds.

The next film is The Year of Living Dangerously.

The Last Detail

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

There’s a great deal of talent associated with this 1973 comedy-drama. The director is Hal Ashby, the man who directed Coming Home and Bound for Glory. The screenwriter is Robert Towne, who on an Oscar for Chinatown. And of course, there is Jack Nicholson, receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role here. The script uses a great deal of profanity, but by doing so it lends an authenticity to a story about sailors who bond in this different kind of buddy road movie. One of the soldiers is going on his “last detail,” and the other two, given the nature of the assignment, wish it was their last.

Before there is a visual, the sound of marching music is heard, with drums prominent, stressing how soldiers are supposed to fall into formation with the orders issued by their superiors. The tale begins on a Navy base in Norfolk. There is a sign which reads “Transient Personnel” office. The men here are between assignments, waiting for the next ship to take them out to sea. The impression as the movie unfolds is that sailors represent social outsiders who prefer being on ships than on land, and do not fit in well with civilians whose lives anchor them to their dull lives. The MAA (Master of Arms) summons Petty Officer Buddusky (Nicholson) and Petty Officer Mulhall (nicknamed “Mule”) (Otis Young). Neither of these men want to be bothered, acting insubordinate or profane, wishing to bide their time until they can resume their real jobs at sea. As Mule says, he doesn’t want to go on any “shit detail.” Mule’s name suggests he is stubborn about how he is used to living his life in the Navy sailing on the oceans. He is sarcastic to the messenger the MAA sent, telling him to say to the MAA that if Mule is in transit, by definition, he can’t be found.

The MAA Chief (Clifton James) calls them lucky “sons-of-bitches” because they pulled temporary duty as “chasers,” and have to go to Portsmouth Navy Prison. Their assignment is to transport a sailor named Meadows (Randy Quaid, nominated for Best Supporting Actor), who was sentenced to eight years and a dishonorable discharge. Buddusky emphasizes how extreme the punishment is by jokingly asking if Meadows killed “the Old Man,” the commanding officer. The Chief says that Meadows only stole forty dollars. Typical of the earthy humor in the film, Mule asks the Chief if he is “shitting” him, which prompts the Chief to say he wouldn’t do that since Mule is his “favorite turd.” The reason Meadows pulled such a stiff sentence is because he tried to steal the cash from the polio disease contribution box. That charity happens to be the Commander’s wife’s favorite charity, and she is responsible for the base contributions. Buddusky and Mule look sideways at each other, understanding the cruel use of power surrounding Meadows’s fate. They must travel north to Washington, D. C., New York City and Boston before dropping their prisoner off at the prison. Buddusky, wanting to make the most out of this “shit detail,” tells Mule it will only take two days to get Meadows to Portsmouth, but they’ve been given a week, so they should deliver him quickly and pocket the rest of the per diem allowance so they can have some fun with the money. This best laid plan does go astray.

Buddusky is placed in charge. They acquire the handcuffs, keys and sidearms for the trip. Meadows is obviously intimidated and seems very meek, staring down most of the time. The Chief tells Meadows that Buddusky and Mule are mean bastards so he shouldn't give them any grief. Buddusky gives Mule a look that implies that the Chief is unnecessarily piling on the misery given Meadows’s plight. Before they leave on a bus Buddusky asks Meadows if he has to use the restroom, and that one of them has to go with him. Buddusky just means they must guard him at all times, but Meadows reassures him he won’t kill himself. Buddusky laughs uncomfortably at Mule, and seems surprised Meadows would say such a thing. But it communicates how awful Meadows feels given the cruelty of his sentence, which eventually brings sympathy from the other two, who basically only saw the detail as a way for them to have some leave time. Buddusky already shows some compassion by taking off the cuffs, telling Meadows that the Navy says that on certain vehicles a prisoner needs the use of his hands to protect himself.

Director Ashby uses ambient sound in places like the snack bar and train stations to give a realistic feel. Since these guys don’t know each other, they begin to become acquainted as they embark on their road trip. On the train, Buddusky asks Mule where he’s from, which turns out to be just outside of New Orleans. After Mulhall tells Buddusky to call him “Mule,” Buddusky says there were troubles with his name, too, and people would call him, “Bad Ass,” which is the kind of nickname a macho sailor would embrace. Meadows chimes in by telling them that he didn’t even get possession of the forty dollars because he was caught while trying to lift the cash. They laugh rather immaturely at the pathetic situation Meadows found himself in. Buddusky says those in power really “stuck it” to him, and he says they put it in and “broke it off.” His graphic comment prompts Mule, who also shows sympathy here, to tell Buddusky to go easy on Meadows.

Buddusky asks Meadows if he has a record. He says not in the Navy, but a couple of times with civilian cops. Buddusky’s formal questioning is funny as he asks if it “was in the nature of a felony or a misdemeanor.” Meadows says it “was in the nature of shoplifting.” But he never was in jail. Buddusky is trying to find out if Meadows is a lifetime crook, hoping that he will discover that Meadows deserves to be imprisoned. Instead, the fact that Meadows is unjustly being incarcerated for petty infractions for an extended period is only reinforced. Buddusky tries to lessen the blow by saying that they’ll knock a couple of years off for good behavior. Buddusky says that’s something, but the look on Mule’s face shows that two years is little consolation.

Meadows is asleep and the other two notice he shoplifted some stuff that Meadows stored in his coat sleeve. When they wake him he panics and runs, but they get him back in his seat. Meadows starts crying and says he steals stuff that he doesn’t need, like hair tonic, and model cars. It appears to be a compulsion, but we find out later the possible reason for his thefts may be related to his childhood. Buddusky and Mule seem upset by this realization that Meadows has psychiatric problems. Mule is concerned about how to deal with him, so Buddusky suggests getting off the train at Washington, D. C., and letting Meadows cool off.

Here they are in the seat of the national government dragging the handcuffed Meadows around as rousing marching music plays, the soundtrack contrasting with the lack of patriotic arousal inherent in their predicament. The rigid Mule, not comfortable with any deviation in the plan, is worried they will miss the train. But Buddusky says they have plenty of time to get to their destination. Buddusky wants to know if he can trust Meadows not to run away or steal anything. They hope to get a bite to eat without making a scene. Meadows wanted cheese melted on his burger, but when the food arrives and it is not as he ordered, he does not complain, saying it’s okay. Buddusky wants to provide Meadows with some simple comforts before getting locked up. Acting a bit like Nicholson’s character in Five Easy Pieces, Buddusky demands that he send the burger back. When it is returned to Meadows with the cheese properly melted, he is happy for the first time on the journey.

Encouraged that he is lightning Meadows’s spirits, Buddusky now wants to get Meadows a beer. Meadows says he’s not old enough, to which Buddusky says “everybody’s old enough for a beer,” like it’s sort of an American inalienable right. Buddusky says Meadows is going away for eight years and receiving a dishonorable discharge, so the least they can do is get him a beer. Buddusky continues to try to ease his conscience for having to take Meadows to jail for an unjust stretch of time. They go to a bar and the bartender (Don McGovern) says the law says he has to serve Mule (making a racial reference because Mule is black), but says he needs to see ID for Meadows. Meadows wants to get out, but Mule, enraged at the racism directed at him, tells the bartender to shove it. Buddusky says he better not be reaching for a club under the counter. The bartender says he’ll call the shore patrol. Buddusky then explodes, calling the man a “redneck,” saying he is the shore patrol, followed by him whipping out his gun. Mule persuades Buddusky to leave. When they get outside, the three of them whoop it up, thrilled by the macho confrontation. Buddusky boasts that he scared that “cracker” and the other two agree loudly that Buddusky lives up to his nickname “Bad Ass.” Buddusky is excited now playing the role of the tough party guy who is going to show Meadows a good time before he goes to Portsmouth. He vows that Meadows isn’t leaving town until he gets some beer.

They buy some six-packs and get roaring drunk, with Mule’s enjoying the fun outweighing his strictness for procedure, only momentarily upset that they missed the next train. Buddusky says they’ll just get a hotel room for the night and take the train in the morning. Buddusky and Mule say what they are doing beats being in “Shit City,” and Meadows says it even beats being in Portsmouth, where he is going to prison. Buddusky is trying not to think about the end of the trip, and is upset about the reminder. So he says Meadows has “a hell of a knack for killing a conversation.” Buddusky starts showing Meadows how to be a signalman, as if he is going to have a career instead of going to jail. Meadows is quite good at it, which impresses Buddusky. He says Meadows, like him, has a “flair” for going through the motions. This connection adds to a feeling of kinship despite their opposing roles of guard and prisoner.

Meadows asks why did Buddusky get so angry at the bartender, since he was just doing his job. Buddhusky asks the mild-mannered Meadows if he ever just gets mad just to get it out of his system. Meadows says he gets angry at injustice (yet he doesn’t seem angry about what is happening to him), but that is too abstract for Buddusky. He wants the anger directed toward unfairness to be personal. He asks if Meadows ever gets angry at the “Old Man” for sending him to prison. Meadows starts to say, again, the Commander was just doing his job. Buddusky is incensed about the wrong perpetrated against Meadows, and is upset at Meadows for not being enraged. Meadows says there was something that made him angry once. It wasn’t that the Marine guards beat him up, which shows how he has been excessively brutalized, but that one of them asked him if he believed in Jesus Christ. The guard said he was Jesus in the brig. Meadows felt that he was awful to say that. (Meadows is a sort of Christ-figure, since he leans toward turning the other cheek, and is being sacrificed while others do cruel acts, as they project their sinful ways onto him, using him as a scapegoat). But Meadows only response, as opposed to Buddusky’s wanting to have punched out the Marine, was to hope the Navy chaplain wouldn’t hear what the Marine said. The cynical Mule says that chaplains just want to cozy up to commanders, but Meadows is a sort of a defender of the faith, saying that it isn’t easy being a chaplain. Buddusky is so frustrated with Meadows he tells him to hit him, which Meadows can’t do because he likes Buddusky, even though he is taking him to prison. Buddusky is seeking penance for what he is having to do, reminding Meadows of the fact that he is taking him to jail. Meadows, in a Christ-like way, says Buddusky is only doing his job. Buddusky is livid because he isn’t being punished for his guilt, which he feels he deserves, but instead is being forgiven in a Christian manner.

Buddusky wants to take Meadows to see his mother. Mule is again resistant at first, but when the unselfish Meadows says he doesn’t want to get them into trouble since they have been so nice to him, Mule caves, feeling guilty about not responding generously when he is treated with kindness. The Golden Rule seems to be in play here. They go to Camden, NJ. Sadness accumulates as Buddusky hears Meadows talk about his father having left them and starting a new family far away in Seattle. Meadows thinks he has a sibling there, but is not sure. This uncertainty adds to the poignancy. He points out where he graduated from high school, and says a teacher wanted him to be a veterinarian. That remark makes Buddusky’s face reflect even more sorrow for Meadows’ pathetic life that never reached its childhood’s goals. It’s freezing as they go to Meadows’s mother’s house, but nobody answers the door, adding to the futility of the situation. Buddusky asks if Meadows wants to wait around despite the cold, or ask a neighbor, which is what Meadows says he will do. He goes off, and Mule, his duty kicking in, is worried that they shouldn’t give him a chance to run off. They find him talking to the neighbor, as he said he would. Buddusky says that Meadows really wants to go to jail because given his psychological problems, “on the outside, too many things can happen to him, all of it bad.” Buddusky is now rationalizing his having to deliver the young man to Portsmouth, as if it’s the best thing for him.

Meadows finds out his mother is out for the day. Buddusky says they might want to wait in the house in case she comes home early. When he pushes open the unlocked door, the place looks like a garbage dump. During the silent pause that follows, Buddusky looks like he can see that Meadows had a miserable childhood, which may have warped him, and made him want to steal stuff, since he had so little for himself while growing up. Meadows says, “I don’t know what I would’ve said to her anyway.” It is a way of covering up the disappointment of not seeing her, but his words also point to him having no connection to his own mother.

Back on the train, Buddusky, still trying to relieve his guilt, says that Meadows's mom should write her congressman to try and get him off. Mule is coldly practical here, saying that won’t accomplish anything. They would either have to let Meadows go, or drop him off, and they aren’t going to set him free. Meadows starts crying and goes to the restroom. Buddusky blames Mule for upsetting Meadows, but Mule believes he is just being realistic, and says how much he hates this “detail,” since he knows how lousy it makes him feel to be part of this unfair activity. Mule finds himself in jeopardy if they don’t distance themselves emotionally from Meadows, because he can’t do anything about the young sailor’s plight, and it will only make Mule feel worse if he lets his feelings interfere with his duty. Mule says that the Navy is the best thing that happened to him and he doesn’t want to mess it up by straying off the mission with Buddusky. Mule accuses Buddusky of trying to impress Meadows with his rebellious actions, but Buddusky, implying that it isn’t about trying to make himself important, says he’s only trying to show Meadows a good time. Mule counters by saying that Meadows can’t have “a good time” because he doesn’t know how, and it won’t help him get through his eight years in prison. Even though Buddusky argues correctly that Meadows enjoyed himself in Washington, Mule doesn’t want his fatalistic, detached attitude disrupted. That way, he won’t feel responsible for the cruel deeds done by the arm of the service he said was “the best thing that ever happened” to him.

They have two hours at the station in New York before taking the next train, and Mule doesn’t want to leave the building to avoid getting into more mischief. Buddusky puts his shore patrol gear in a locker, as if abdicating his association with the detail. Mule, reluctantly, follows his action. As if in defiance of Mule’s directions, Buddusky shows how he can be rowdy without leaving the train station by getting into a brawl with Marines in the men’s room. Mule and Meadows help him with the fight, with Buddusky, acting like a big brother, being proud that Meadows joined in. Afterwards, Buddusky even gets Mule to admit it was fun roughing it up, as the men engaged in exhilarating, if juvenile, macho rowdiness.

To continue his quest to divert Meadows from his fate, Buddusky takes them to a place he says has the best sausage sandwiches. Then they go to a bar where Buddusky hustles an opponent in a game of darts. He then splits the money with the other two, telling Meadows they’re partners which, psychologically, raises Meadows to a place of equality with his traveling companions. He has treated Meadows so that feels like he finally belongs with others, which obviously is something Meadows was deprived of in his life. Both Buddusky and Meadows perform their signalman movements on the street. When Buddusky says that Meadows should put in for the job, the three of them then become quiet, reality silencing them, since they know Meadows will not have that opportunity.

They hear chanting and Meadows wants to check it out. There is a type of religious gathering that Buddusky humorously tells Meadows he’ll explain later, while having no clue about what is going on. Meadows takes a piece of paper which notes the words to chant, and Buddusky, exercising his sailor’s right to be profane, says Meadows can pray for all of them to get laid. The sweet Meadows questions if that is something they should be chanting for. They go to an X-rated store and Buddusky, continuing his carnal musings, makes a crude reference pertaining to oral sex. Again, in contrast, the innocent Meadows says he never experienced that activity. Meadows, again contrasting with the lascivious Buddusky, is so unworldly that he believes a fictitious sexual story about the talents of a one-eyed prostitute who “winks” guys to pleasure. More fitting with Meadows childlike mentality, Buddusky and Mule take their prisoner to a skating rink where Meadows has fun on the ice. Buddusky, feeling fulfilled in his quest, gives Mule an “I told you so,” as Meadows shows that he can have a good time. Buddusky tells Meadows he can have a bracelet inscribed, and Meadows wants it to read he is a signalman, which shows that is the closest he will get to his dream.

They go to a cafe and have some coffee while Meadows is chanting. A woman, Donna (Luana Anders), hears him and walks over. She knows about the religion, and says Meadows can chant for anything. When he doesn’t say what he is chanting for, she says it can be for a girl. Donna invites him over to her table and then all of them to her apartment for a party, where a culture clash occurs. The hippie types there and the sailors can’t relate to each other, entrenched in their lifestyles. There is a young male who pushes Mule to complain about President Nixon. One of the women wants to know why there aren’t more black sailors. Mule, satirically, says you have to get a recommendation from a white guy. Buddusky keeps hitting on one of the women by talking about the sailor’s life, which couldn’t be any more irrelevant to her world. When another woman asks how he felt going to Vietnam, Mule says if “the man” says you have to go, you go. He is a soldier and sees no way around following orders, which is incomprehensible to the anti-establishment young people of the time protesting the Vietnam War and racial injustice. 

Meadows reveals to Donna that he is being taken to prison. She says why not go to Canada, and he again unselfishly says the guys are his friends, and if he escaped, they would pay for it, which Meadows can’t allow. Meadows, Buddusky’s sexual preoccupation probably rubbing off on him, probably thought he was going to have sex when Donna takes him upstairs and takes off her shoes. But, instead, she chants for his escape. The sailors miss their train again and then catch it the next day. On the ride to Boston, Meadows now has the desire to stand up for himself, as he sends eggs back because they weren’t cooked to his liking. The other two laugh, and Buddusky gives Meadows an approving nod, feeling his self-assertiveness training is being adopted by his protege, as Meadows says he’s “learning.”

In Boston, Buddusky wants Meadows to lose his virginity. They ask a cab driver about a brothel, and the driver was a sailor himself, so the “manly” kinship of the military world is exhibited. He takes them to a place where he gets a cut of the action. Meadows has to pick one of the girls, most of them understandably looking bored and tired. He chooses a very slight girl (Carol Kane) and Buddusky tells her to do a good job since, unfortunately, the memory of the encounter has to last a long time. The inexperienced Meadows climaxes immediately, and is embarrassed. Buddusky is supportive, telling Meadows it’s okay, and he’ll pay for him to go again. While they wait, Mule asks if Buddusky was ever married. He says he was, to a woman who wanted him to go to trade school and be a TV repairman. He says all of this like it would be a dreary job, driving around in the smog to fix televisions out of a Volkswagen bus. Buddusky says, “I just couldn’t do it.” His story stresses the outsider mentality of the sailor who doesn't want to be tied down to the rules of the land. Mule never married, and brags about all the places he has been able to visit. Given his “in transit” preference for living, he says he wouldn’t know what to do without the Navy. Buddusky says that they are “just a couple of lifers,” and it almost sounds like they are in jail, too, but it is a self-imposed imprisonment because they don’t know any other way to be.

Meadows is able to perform this time with the girl, and he is sweet to her, and she to him. Later he says that he knows it could be an act, but he tells Buddusky that he thinks she liked him. He says she probably did, which helps Buddusky believe he is helping Meadows feel good about himself. They have a little time before dropping him off. Meadows doesn’t want to repeat anything, most likely because the first times things are experienced make them feel special. It is a cold day, with snow on the ground, and Meadows says that if it was nice outside they could have a picnic.

Buddusky tries to deliver on that wish, as the next scene finds them at a snow-covered park where they start a fire to cook hot dogs. Buddusky didn’t remember the buns, and is pissed because Mule yells at him for forgetting. They’re anger is misplaced because they are really upset about delivering Meadows to Portsmouth. Buddusky says to Mule that Meadows has come a long way over only a couple of days. He most likely feels fulfilled, but also sad that Meadows won’t have time to continue his growth. Mule, wanting to end their feeling badly about the situation, says they should get it over with. Buddusky agrees, but doesn't move. Buddusky then says Meadows won’t stand a chance at Portsmouth, getting kicked around there. Mule knows where Buddusky is implying, and says he doesn’t want to hear that, because he can’t entertain the idea of freeing Meadows. Meadows wanders off and signals “bye, bye.” He takes off, but Buddusky can’t let him go despite what he said earlier. He is pissed probably because he feels betrayed that Meadows is running off after he showed the young man some kindness, and didn’t let Buddusky decide whether to free him. It is almost that Mule was right, that showing Meadows an enjoyable time, ironically, made his incarceration seem more intolerable to him. Buddusky catches up with Meadows and hits him several times, taking out his anger over the situation on Meadows for making him be part of the lousy detail.

They drop Meadows off and he is hustled off by the guards without being able to say goodbye as the prison doors clang shut, the metallic sound echoing the harshness of the situation. Buddusky and Mule are reprimanded for abusing the prisoner because they refuse to blame Meadows for trying to escape his unfair sentence. Also, someone in Norfolk forgot to endorse their orders, so they are told their trip was not approved, yet they traveled anyway. Mule says they want to see the superior officer. The Marine officer (Michael Moriarty) doesn’t want to have a problem, so he tells them to get out. As they march out Buddusky lets his anger out at the Marines and Mule again says he hates the detail, as if it is an abstraction, but they are really feeling miserable for what happened to Meadows. They stride off in their anger which undermines the patriotic music of “Anchors Away” playing in the background.

After a short break, the next film is Witness.