Detour
1945, Crime/Drama, 1h 9m
40 Reviews 5,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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
Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Al Roberts
Vera
Sue Harvey
Charles Haskell Jr

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Critic Reviews for Detour
All Critics (40) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (1)
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Tom Neal does extremely well in the long, difficult role of the petrified pianist whose misadventures are told in flashback; while Ann Savage all but blisters the screen with her venoemous, snarling performance as the vicious Vera.
December 29, 2020 | Full Review… -
[Detour] is a morbid melodrama, depressing and uninteresting.
December 29, 2020 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review… -
One of the most poignant and disturbing stories to reach the screen in any year is this one. You're not just looking at a picture; you're right in it and suffering along with the man whose troubles are being told.
December 29, 2020 | Full Review… -
The film, told in flashbacks, is held together by a poetically lurid interior monologue and directed, by Edgar G. Ulmer, with harrowingly expressive effects of light and shadow.
November 26, 2018 | Full Review… -
Uniformly good performances and some equally good direction and dialog keep the meller moving.
October 16, 2007 | Full Review… -
One of the most daring and thoroughly perverse works of art ever to come out of Hollywood.
October 16, 2007 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Detour
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Jul 13, 2014Pleasantly 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
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Jan 28, 2014In 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
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Jun 12, 2013Thanks 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! 97/100Edgar C Super Reviewer
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Jul 25, 2012This is such a shame. What makes "Detour" ultimately unimpressive is its second half, which falls apart with the arrival of Ann Savage's character. This is honestly one of the most unlikable performances I think I've ever seen. To be so unnecessarily over the top is just uncalled for. Tom Neal does an excellent job at creating a character that we can sympathize with, but there are times where Savage is so bad that she threatens to lessen the impact of his performance. And it's just a real shame. "Detour" has such a great opening half hour that it seems destined for greatness, but sadly, it just can't keep the momentum going.Stephen E Super Reviewer
Detour Quotes
Vera: | Stop makin? noises like a husband. |
Vera: | Stop makin' noises like a husband. |
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