Poster for Detour

Detour

1945, Crime/Drama, 1h 9m

42 Reviews 5,000+ Ratings

critics consensus

Stylish and gripping, Detour offers further proof that a patsy and a femme fatale often add up to a satisfying story. Read critic reviews

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Detour Photos

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Movie Info

In New York, piano player Al Roberts (Tom Neal) laments when his singer girlfriend, Sue Harvey (Claudia Drake), leaves for Hollywood, Calif. When Al gets some money, he decides to hitchhike to California to join Sue. In Arizona, Al accepts a ride with Charles Haskell (Edmund MacDonald), but during a storm in a freak accident, Haskell is killed. Frightened, Al assumes Haskell's identity and car, but soon comes upon the mysterious Vera (Ann Savage), who seems to know all about his true identity.

Genre:

Crime, Drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Edgar G. Ulmer
Producer:

Leon Fromkess
Release Date (Theaters):

Nov 30, 1945 original
Release Date (Streaming):

Oct 22, 2002
Box Office (Gross USA):

$12.2K
Runtime:

1h 9m

Cast & Crew

Tom Neal
Al Roberts

Ann Savage
Vera

Claudia Drake
Sue Harvey

Edmund MacDonald

Edmund MacDonald
Charles Haskell Jr

Tim Ryan

Tim Ryan
Nevada Diner Proprietor

Esther Howard
Holly, Diner Waitress

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Detour

All Critics (42) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (1)

Full Review… Mildred Martin Philadelphia Inquirer

Full Review… Wanda Hale New York Daily News

Full Review… LA Times Staff Los Angeles Times

Full Review… Richard Brody New Yorker

Full Review… Variety Staff Variety

Full Review… Dave Kehr Chicago Reader

Full Review… Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand

Full Review… Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm

Full Review… Sara Hamilton Photoplay

Full Review… Film Daily Staff The Film Daily

Full Review… Herbert Cohn Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Full Review… Mandel Herbstman Motion Picture Herald (Exhibitors Herald)

View All Critic Reviews (42)

Audience Reviews for Detour

Mar 20, 2021

Given the limited resources director Edgar G. Ulmer had this is a true masterwork. Stylistic and dream-like, Ulmer tells a story about unfortunate luck - fate - that resonates for lovers of this kind of cinema. Ann Savage's performance as a sociopathic femme fatale is a landmark for women in movies.

Aldo G Super Reviewer
Jul 13, 2014

Pleasantly short and well-constructed, Detour may not be the most memorable work of film noir, however it is well-acted and features an intriguing plot. It's fun to watch and follow, especially due to Savage's great performance.

Matthew Samuel M Super Reviewer
Jan 28, 2014

In one strange sequence a piano player, our downtrodden hero, lays down classical chops only the long hairs at Carnegie Hall could appreciate in front of a dive nightclub crowd that's barely awake. Even our hero seems not to care, and there's the charm of this nightmare: when he says or thinks "nobody cares" he's right, like a slow walk to the bathroom to slit your wrists. The dialogue is beautiful, the ending too quick, too pat, but the whole is like a two-year-old's pout dramatised. Visceral stuff.

Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
Jun 12, 2013

Thanks to Edgar G. Ulmer for causing in us suspension of disbelief: unbelievably bad luck had never been so entertaining. Respects go to Ann Savage for being a total menace, like if it was in her nature! 97/100

Edgar C Super Reviewer

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