Catch-22

Catch-22 is set during the Second World War at an American air base in the Mediterranean, where bombing crews are being lost at an alarming rate. Captain John Yossarian, a bombardier, becomes fixated on staying alive and tries to have himself declared insane so he can be grounded. His problem is the regulation known as Catch-22: anyone who claims to be crazy in order to avoid combat duty is clearly rational enough to fly. What follows is Yossarian's increasingly desperate attempts to work around a system whose logic traps him, set against the absurdity, blind obedience and senseless slaughter of military life.

Mike Nichols directed the film, his third feature in a directing career that would eventually span eighteen films, following The Graduate and preceding Carnal Knowledge. Buck Henry wrote the screenplay, and the large credited cast of thirty-seven includes Alan Arkin as Yossarian, Martin Balsam, Richard Benjamin, Art Garfunkel, Jack Gilford and Buck Henry himself. The film was produced by Martin Ransohoff and John Calley for Paramount and Filmways Pictures.

Made for a substantial budget of 18 million dollars, the film returned about 25 million dollars worldwide, a modest result for its cost. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.1 from roughly 28,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.7 from a much smaller base of 371 votes. A critics' rating of 7.3 from 31 reviews places it above both audience scores.