Lacks character development  but those familiar with the book will find much to love here

Rating: Null/10 (19 April 2002)

During the second world war Captain Yossarian decides he is fed up with flying missions of ever increasing numbers and tries to get grounded on the grounds of insanity. However Doc Daneeka informs him of a catch  all he has to do is ask to stop flying, however if he doesn't want to fly he must be sane and hence must fly! This mother of all catches is catch-22. With this still in his mind Yossarian finds a world of death, madness and profiteering of both a financial and political nature. The war has gone mad!
Based on my favourite book this had the potential for me to hate it or love it. The book is fantastic as both a character comedy and a satire on war  I have read it over 10 tens and still love it. This helped me with the film because I know the characters so well. The `story' is very fragmented and moves quickly, if you don't know the characters then you may find yourself having trouble keeping up. However the film manages to bring most of the characters to life  although many are either only mentioned (hungry Joe) or have brief scenes (Major Major). This is excusable as the film concentrates on the point of the book  the insanity around war  and carries that off well.
The film jumps around between scens and though time  however Nichols manages to tie it all together well and creates a sort of structure out of a difficult situation. The cast are brilliant and full of now-famous faces. Arkin is a marvelous Yossarian  hats of to casting! He's world weary sort of manner is a credit to the character. Art Garfunkel has never been a good actor, but he seems to fit as the naive Nately. In fact all characters seem to fit  Gilford's Doc is bang on, Blasam and Benjamin are great as Carthcart and Danby and Newhart's Major Major is as it should be  if only he was given more time. Martin Sheen is good in a small role with a nice cameo from Orson Welles. The two main actors are Perkins and Voight. Perkins' Chaplin is stuttering and shy as he should be and Voight's Milo Minderbender is absolutely insane inside a sane body  his full story isn't told but much of his madness is included.
The quick flow of this film means that the characters and settings come and go quickly  that's why this never manages to be as good as M*A*S*H*. If you've read the book then you can fill the rest in yourself, but without that knowledge then you may not fully get it and be left cold by the speed and lack of character development.
However Nichols has done well. The book was always going to be difficult to adapt and stripping it to the bear characters and key events it has managed to keep the point  that war is madness. Not a perfect film  but for lovers of the book this is a great chance to meet all those great characters in the flesh (sort of).