Detour (1945)

Chance events trap hitch-hiker Al Roberts in a tightening net of film noir trouble.

Director:

Edgar G. Ulmer

Writers:

Martin Goldsmith (screenplay), Martin Goldsmith (original story),

Stars:

Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tom Neal	...	Al Roberts
Ann Savage	...	Vera
Claudia Drake	...	Sue Harvey
Edmund MacDonald	...	Charles Haskell Jr
Tim Ryan	...	Nevada Diner Proprietor
Esther Howard	...	Diner Waitress
Pat Gleason	...	Joe

Storyline

In flashback, New York nightclub pianist Al Roberts hitchhikes to Hollywood to join his girl Sue. On a rainy night, the sleazy gambler he's riding with mysteriously dies; afraid of the police, Roberts takes the man's identity. But thanks to a blackmailing dame, Roberts' every move plunges him deeper into trouble...

---

Plot Keywords:

police | pianist | hitchhiking | pick up | highway | 

---

Taglines:

He went searching for love... but Fate forced a DETOUR to Revelry... Violence... Mystery!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Curva do Destino

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ann Savage worked on her biography for the last decade of her life. It was released in early 2010 called 'Savage Detours'.

---

Goofs

When Al is playing the piano he is not pressing any of the keys, just moving his fingers across the tops of them.

---

Quotes

Al Roberts: That's life. Whichever way you turn, Fate sticks out a foot to trip you.

---

Connections

Featured in Friday's Curse: Femme Fatale (1989)

---

Soundtracks

"Waltz Op. 64 No. 2 in C Sharp Minor"
(uncredited)
Music by Frédéric Chopin
Played by Al on the piano

User Reviews

A Haunting Film Noir

One recurrent thought passes through my mind as I watch "Detour." It is that I do not believe a single moment of its story-telling. It isn't because of the incredible coincidences or the bitter irony but because of the simple goodness of the main character. Characters in film noir are not role models or good people placed into bad circumstances. They are bad people who believe that they're good.

The characters in "Double Indemnity," "Body Heat," or "The Talented Mr. Ripley" do not think of themselves as bad people. They believe they are forced into their crimes by the world, which is the essential difference between crime movies and noir. As pointed out by Roger Ebert: "the bad guys in crime movies know they're bad and want to be, while a noir hero thinks he's a good guy who has been ambushed by life."

"Detour" is told through the central character, Al Roberts, who recalls his story as one made through impossible coincidences and horrible luck. But there is something not right about his story. The audience can pick out the incongruities and flaws as soon as they're told. Was Charles Haskell's death really the result of bad luck or simply a murderer trying to convince himself that it was? We wonder if it is possible that a person as innocent as Al says he is can be forced into such immoral activities. However, the explanation is quite clear. Al is retelling the story not as a true confession but as a man reviewing his defense to the police.

Watching the movie, I was reminded of Tanazaki's "The Key," a novel in which the main character deliberately lies to the audience as a way of reaching the story's conclusion. We do not see a real conclusion to "Detour," but we sense that the police will find the same flaws in Al's story as we do. And that is not a fatal form of story-telling but a way of looking into the mind of a true noir character and seeing the darker depths of his soul. That is why film noir is so haunting and why this movie is so definitive in its genre.