Catch-22 (1970)
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A bombardier in World War II seeks escape from a military system governed by a paradoxical logic that makes it impossible to be released from service.
The story
Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Force B-25 bombardier, is stationed on the Mediterranean base on Pianosa during World War II. Along with his squadron members, Yossarian is committed to flying dangerous missions, but after watching friends die, he seeks a means of escape. While most bomber crews are rotated out after 25 missions, Yossarian's commanding officer, Colonel Cathcart, keeps raising the minimum number of missions for this base before anyone can reach it. Yossarian learns that even a mental breakdown is no release when Doc Daneeka explains the 'Catch-22' the Army Air Force employs: an airman must be crazy to fly, but if he is crazy, he is unfit to fly.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Force B-25 bombardier, is stationed on the Mediterranean base on Pianosa during World War II. After watching friends die, he seeks escape from the dangerous missions. His commanding officer, Colonel Cathcart, keeps raising the mission count to an unobtainable 80 to gain publicity. Yossarian discovers the 'Catch-22' logic: an airman must be crazy to fly, but if he refuses, he is considered sane and fit to fly. The film depicts the squadron's bizarre inhabitants, including Milo Minderbinder, who becomes a capitalistic tycoon in black-market schemes, and Major Major, who only sees people in his office when he is out. Yossarian is haunted by the death of Snowden and temporarily refuses to wear his uniform. Various characters cope with the madness in different ways, including Captain Orr, who repeatedly crashes at sea. Eventually, Cathcart and Lieutenant Colonel Korn agree to send Yossarian home with a promotion and a medal for a fictitious act of bravery, provided he praises them. After surviving an assassination attempt by Nately's partner, Yossarian learns that Orr's 'death' was a hoax to escape the madness. Yossarian abandons the deal with the colonels, leaps out of a hospital window, and paddles into the sea in a raft.
- First release year
- 1970
- Runtime (minutes)
- 122
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mike Nichols
- Writers
- Buck Henry · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Alan Arkin · Captain John Yossarian (Bombardier); Bob Balaban · Captain Orr (Bomber Pilot); Martin Balsam · Colonel Chuck Cathcart (Group Commander, 256th Bomb Group); Richard Benjamin · Major Danby (Group Operations Officer); Olimpia Carlisi · Luciana, the Alluring Passerby; Marcel Dalio · Old Man in Whorehouse; Art Garfunkel · Lt. Edward J. Nately III (Pilot); Jack Gilford · Dr. "Doc" Daneeka (Group Flight Surgeon)
- Genres
- satirical comedy; war; black comedy
- Themes
- anti-war; bureaucracy; absurdity; selfishness
- Tone and mood
- absurdist; frenetic; intellectual; horror comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- anti-war; black comedy; satire; military
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1961 novel of the same name by Joseph Heller
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, though it was polarized by critics regarding its tone and structure. It was a box office hit but fell short of being profitable, and it was often compared to MASH.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 11
- Production trivia
- The film's budget accommodated 17 flyable B-25 Mitchells, and one hulk was acquired in Mexico.; Second unit director John Jordan died after falling out of a bomber scene into the Pacific Ocean.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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