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Catch-22
1970 121 min United States of America R 16+
★7.2
War, Comedy
Director: Mike Nichols
🎭 Based on
«Catch-22»
byJoseph Heller
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
A WWII military pilot makes a valiant effort to be certified insane in order to be excused from flying missions. But there's a catch.
Budget:
$18M
Worldwide:
$24.91M
Starring
Alan Arkin
Actor
Martin Balsam
Actor
Richard Benjamin
Actor
Awards
BAFTA 1971
— United Nations Award
BAFTA 1971
— Best Cinematography
Key opinion
Mike Nichols' adaptation of Catch-22 is widely regarded as a visually striking and faithful attempt to capture the novel's surreal, anti-war atmosphere. However, it remains a divisive work, with many critics arguing that the source material's dense complexity makes a two-hour film feel disjointed or narratively incomplete.
| Acting | Alan Arkin provides a compelling, grounding performance that effectively anchors the film's chaotic narrative. | |
| Theme | The film succeeds in recreating the Kafkaesque, absurdist tone of the source material through surreal visual imagery. | |
| Cinematography | The aerial photography and visual execution of the B-25 bombers offer a dream-like, memorable aesthetic. | |
| Adaptation | Opinions on the adaptation are split: some praise the faithfulness to the book's dialogue and themes, while others argue that truncating plot lines and omitting key characters renders the story incoherent or shallow. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing is viewed inconsistently, with some finding the third act sluggish and others feeling the limited runtime forces a rushed, disjointed structure. |