Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- irreverent
- sardonic
- bleak
- classic film night
- anti-war cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's intelligent anti-war satire, ensemble cast, photography, and effects, while finding its large cast, emotional detachment, and tonal shift toward graphic violence uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Yossarian's attempts to escape combat are repeatedly blocked by circular military regulations and self-serving commanders.
The film moves between farcical squadron behavior and devastating aerial violence, making laughter inseparable from wartime mortality.
Yossarian seeks invalidation from combat while military authorities treat his refusal to fly as evidence of insanity.
The narrative repeatedly returns to bombing missions and their consequences while gradually clarifying the events surrounding Yossarian's crisis.
Films like Catch-22, and why
M*A*S*H
shares an anti-war black comedy approach, absurd military bureaucracy, and a tense balance between satire and horror
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
shares surreal military satire, institutional absurdity, and a grimly comic view of wartime survival
The Great Escape
shares a World War II aviation setting, ensemble characterization, and tragic anti-war disillusionment
Slaughterhouse-Five
shares New Hollywood experimentation, countercultural anti-war themes, and darkly comic tonal instability
Movie Details
- Director
- Mike Nichols
- Release Date
- 1970-06-24
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (373)
Cast
- Alan Arkin
- Martin Balsam
- Richard Benjamin
- Art Garfunkel
- Jack Gilford
- Buck Henry
- Bob Newhart
- Anthony Perkins
- Paula Prentiss
- Martin Sheen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Catch-22 about?
- A desperate World War II bombardier confronts a military bureaucracy whose absurd logic makes survival itself an act of rebellion.
- What is Catch-22 like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Catch-22 as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Catch-22 violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Catch-22 as graphic.
- What did critics think of Catch-22?
- Critics broadly admired the film's intelligent anti-war satire, ensemble cast, photography, and effects, while finding its large cast, emotional detachment, and tonal shift toward graphic violence uneven.
- Which films are like Catch-22?
- Films with a similar feel include M*A*S*H, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Great Escape, and Slaughterhouse-Five.
- How long is Catch-22?
- Catch-22 runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch Catch-22?
- In United States, Catch-22 streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
