Catch 22 (1970)

Set on an island off Italy during WWII. An Air Force bombardier (Alan Arkin) is committed to flying dangerous missions but after watching his friends die, he seeks a means of escape. Based on the novel by Joseph Heller and (over) directed by Mike Nichols. An admirable failure. Heller's novel was a satire but it wasn't as painfully obvious as this film adaptation. As if he were afraid we wouldn't get that it was a satire, Nichols directed his cast to give absurdly exaggerated performances to clue us this was a satire. When Anthony Perkins gives the most restrained performance in the movie, you know something's amiss. Alan Arkin's Yossarian comes across as legitimately paranoid when he should be the most sane character in the narrative. It's not a bad movie, just a disappointment and there are still good moments in the film, just not enough of them. The massive cast includes Orson Welles, Richard Benjamin, Jon Voight, Martin Sheen, Paula Prentiss, Bob Newhart, Martin Balsam, Charles Grodin, Art Garfunkel, Bob Balaban, Jack Gilford, Buck Henry. Elizabeth Wilson and Olimpia Carlisi.