The Detective

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Audience Member Frank Sinatra serves a brilliant performance and anyone who disagrees is a hater. Frank Sinatra is the epitome of grand performances throughout his entire soul and reputation. This world was not made for a heavenly soul as his. Only haters disagree Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/02/25 Full Review Liam D Frank Sinatra gives a good performance and it has some interesting elements but for a cop drama it’s very slow and kinda homophobic Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/07/24 Full Review Ashley H The Detective is a decent film. It is about a police detective who investigates the murder of a gay man. Frank Sinatra and Lee Remick give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. Gordon Douglas did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/11/23 Full Review CodyZamboni Movie is compelling. It's more about character and morals, rather than a police procedural, involving NYPD corruption. Sinatra is the movie, and he anchors it with his conviction. Lots of famous faces in supporting roles. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/04/23 Full Review Phil S Frank Sinatra was a terrific actor, when he felt like it ( The Manchurian Candidate as an example). For this film he puts in an intense performance. He investigates the murder of a homosexual man which his colleagues treat with contempt. He is a cop that is honest and probably more liberal than cops were in this era. ( Compare this attitude to a pungently homophobic turn in "Lady in Cement" ). This is a strangely compelling film and a little like the Warners "message" films of the 30s and 40s. So, if you want a gripping crime film with Frankie moving out of first gear, then this might be the one for you. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/01/23 Full Review Audience Member New York City police detective Joe Leland (Frank Sinatra) is called to the home of a murder victim who has been beaten to death, head crushed and has had his genitals removed. Puzzled and disgusted, the police on call are left bemused, and Leland holds things together with his direct, no-nonsense approach. Few leads are found, other than the fact that a house-mate of the victim remains conspicuous by his absence. All the while notions about the victim's sexuality and personal interests warp the ideals of the officers assigned to the task. Leland tries to remain focused on the case while dealing with the breakdown of his marriage to wife Karen (Lee Remick). Eventually, the victim's housemate is identified as Felix Tesla (Tony Musante), and he is soon tracked down by Leland and another detective. A psychologically disturbed Tesla cracks until eventually, Leland coaxes a confession out of him. This results in extensive publicity, a promotion for Leland and the electric chair for Tesla, which distresses Leland because it is clear to him that Tesla is insane. Later, across town, a man kills himself by jumping from the rooftop of a racetrack. The case goes unnoticed until the much-younger wife of the dead man, Norma MacIver (Jacqueline Bisset), comes to Leland's office and asks him to look into it, believing something far more complex is involved... Critical reception was mostly good while Sinatra delivered one of his most intense and dedicated acting performances. The Hollywood Reporter would comment: "Sinatra has honed his laconic, hep veneer to the point of maximum credibility." Roger Ebert praised his performance and the concept of the film, stating: "It is pretty clear that Sinatra wanted 'The Detective' to be as good a movie as he could manage. It provides a clear, unsentimental look at a police investigation, and even the language reflects the way cops (and the rest of us) talk." "The Detective" is a slowpaced, uneven and slightly boring Frank Sinatra neo-noir cop drama based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Roderick Thorp. "The Detective" marked a move towards — and was billed as — a more "adult" approach to depicting the life and work of a police detective while confronting, for one of the first times in mainstream cinema, previously taboo subjects such as homosexuality. However, here´s really nothing that stands out (except explicit subject matters at the time the film was made) and nothing that really excites you. It´s a slow paced film with stereotypes and a no nonsense Frank Sinatra that seems to be a bit on autopilot. "The Detective" is not amongst Sinatra´s better films. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Detective

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