One Of The Greatest Films And Comedies Of Ever Made. An Excellent And Hilarious Classic Black Comedy War Film. Robert Altman At His Best.

Rating: 10/10 (4 September 2013)

MASH is one of the greatest Comedies Of all time and a classic film that combines amazing direction,a fantastic ensemble cast,hilarious Black Comedy,wonderful script and a memorable film score making MASH one of Altman's best and a classic Comedy and War Film and not only one of the best films of the 1970s but one of the greatest films ever made.
Based on the novel MASH:A Novel About Three Army Doctors and set during the Korean War in the early 1950s,MASH tells the story of a group of Army surgeons that includes Capt. Hawkeye Pierce(Donald Sutherland),Trapper John McIntyre(Elliot Gould)and Duke Forrest(Tom Skerritt)that work inside a hospital and deal with Horrors of the War while getting into hilarious situations and misadventures.
Before MASH was turned into the iconic and popular television series of the same name,MASH was an amazing,hilarious and edgy Black Comedy classic that was an Anti-War Satire and was also a cinema breakthrough for filmmaker Robert Altman and is a film that ranks with other great films and Black Comedies Dr Strangelove and Network and is one of the film that gave birth to the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s. One of the reasons MASH is a classic film is because Robert Altman takes the concept and subject of War and makes an Anti-War film that mocks the military and Wars in a funny and Satirical way that is bold and brave and at the same time creative and subversive in a original style. The Comedy and laughs in MASH is funny and hilarious and is done with in darkly Humorous way with scenes and dialog in the film that is smart and intelligent and can only exist in the bizarre and insane world of MASH that is truly wacky and offbeat and done with a weirdness and insane energy that never slows down or lets up until the very end and you as the viewer are along for the ride. I also love that The Comedy is politically incorrect and is the kind of Humor that you don't really see in films anymore and would offend viewers in today's world. What I also love about MASH is the episodic nature and structure of the film where there are scenes in the movie that jump from one to the next and some of the characters pop in and out of the narrative but the film is never disjointed or disconnected and I think the episodic style keeps the film moving at a great pace. While the film is set during the Korean War in the 1950s,MASH is more about the Vietnam War that was going on in the during the 1960s and 70s and Altman doesn't hold back in showing the danger and Horrors of going to War especially during the Hospital and surgery scenes which are done in a gritty and realistic way almost like a documentary of Surgery in Hospitals during a War. MASH is a Comedy and it is very funny but it's still an Anti-War film that is told from a cynical point of view that is harsh and unflinching. The three main characters in the film Hawkeye Pierce,Trapper John McIntyre and Duke Forrest are great and truly memorable characters because when you look at the characters you feel like that even though they are surgeons of War they don't really want to be in the War or military but rather in a bar drinking a small glass of martini,flirting with women or being at home and not participating in the War. The many scenes with Hawkeye and Trapper or the scenes the three main characters have together is funny and wonderful with the characters Hawkeye,Trapper and Duke saying memorable dialog that is very fresh,sarcastic and witty as well. Hawkeye,Trapper and Duke are three amazing characters you will never forget. The screenplay by Ring Lardner Jr. is wonderful and well-written even much of the dialog was improvised by the cast and there's a lot of scenes of overlapping dialog between the main characters that is great and would become one of the many trademarks of Altman's films. The final 20-30 minutes and the film's ending is amazing and matches the rest of the film's manic comic energy. A great ending.
The whole cast is wonderful. Donald Sutherland is excellent and hilarious as Captain Hawkeye Pierce,with Sutherland bringing laughs and coolness to the role. Elliot Gould is brilliant and funny as Captain Trapper John McIntyre and has great scenes with Sutherland. Tom Skerritt is amazing as Duke Forrest,Hawkeye and Trapper's friend. Sally Kellerman is fantastic as Major Hot Lips O'Houlihan,a straight laced nurse. Robert Duvall is wonderful as Major Frank Burns,an fellow Army Surgeon. Roger Bowen is terrific as Colonial Henry Blake,a man who's in charge of the MASH unit. Gary Burghoff is great as Corporal Radar,Blake right hand man. Burghoff also played the role on the television series. David Arkin is funny as Sgt. Major Vollmer,a by the book soldier. Jo Ann Plug is sensational and beautiful as Lt. Dish,Hawkeye's love interest. Fred Williamson is outstanding as Dr. Spearchucker Jones,a Football player who's now a surgeon. Michael Murphy is great as Me Lai Larston,a Surgeon in Japan. John Schuck is fantastic as Capt. Painless Waldowski,a dentist. G. Wood(General Hammond),Bud Cort(Private Boone)and Rene Auberjonois(Father John 'Dago Red' Mulcahy)give good performances as well.
The direction by Robert Altman is brilliant,with Altman always moving the camera with zooms and close ups and giving the film a gritty and realistic look. Great direction by Altman.
The score by Johnny Mandel is fantastic and memorable and brings a light and fun feeling to the film. I also love the classic theme song Suicide Is Painless that is used for the film(and later for the television series)and it truly matches the film's tone.
In final word,if you love Robert Altman,Comedies,Black Comedies,War Films or films in general,I highly suggest you see MASH,an hilarious and unforgettable classic that you can watch again and again. Highly Recommended. 10/10.