william d
Despite a rather weak story I was cruising along, enjoying the film, if only for the 1950s Hollywood tough guy lingo. Then the dramatically overwrought ending hit and I felt I had just wasted my time.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
paul d
William Wyler's Detective Story is an excellent film. Wyler adapted it from a successful stage play and he had the genius intuition to change the staging very little. With so much of the film taking place in a stage-like room and it's adjacent areas, we have a sense of intimacy and familiarity with the characters. It is full of great character actors and has a towering performance from Kirk Douglas. His trademark intensity, burning anger and primal, physical energy was on display for the full length of the movie, and he has probably never been better. The delicate subject matter was handled beautifully, pushing to the censorship limits of the day yet transmitting everything we need to know with empathy and respect.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
s r
Impressive cop story showing a day in the life of a detective who is in search of justice. It got really heavy, but good with the plot taking a turn for the serious. Really a first rate production and something that could be reproduced. It was on paramount.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
steve d
Interesting story extremely well acted.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A day in the life of New York's 21st Precinct detective squad. Shows their everyday routine, the issues they have to deal with, from petty complaints by citizens, to minor felonies, to major crimes. At the centre of the action is James McLeod (played by Kirk Douglas), a hard-nosed, hot-headed detective who always gets his man, one way or another.
Interesting take on the detective genre. Not the glamorous side that we are used to seeing in movies and on TV but the everyday, more accurate, side. Almost every scene is inside the police station, showing just how much police work is more about paperwork and interrogating suspects than actually apprehending them.
While the movie includes several different strands, following different suspects, it is still quite engaging. This is due to largely concentrating on one detective in particular, James McLeod, his methods, flaws and personal life, and how these are linked. Lee Grant's character, the small-time female shoplifter, also provides an outsider's perspective on goings-on, as well as some of the film's more humorous moments.
Not brilliant though. Certain aspects of the plot feel a bit too neat and contrived and the character-drama side of the movie feels overblown, helped by a large dose of overacting, especially from Kirk Douglas. The dialogue and acting were so over-the-top at times it felt like a play.
Not perfect, but entertaining nevertheless.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/20/23
Full Review
Audience Member
William Wyler's gritty, absorbing cinematic adaptation of the smash Broadway hit play by Sidney Kingley. It is set in a New York City police station in the early 1950s, where a rigid, no-nonsense Detective named Jim McLeod, played brilliantly by Kirk Douglas in a powerhouse performance. McLeod has a twisted personal code and a unique hatred for criminals which he has no mercy for, he would act as judge and jury for any case for which he is involved. He obsessively pursues an abortionist, Karl Schneider, superbly played by George Macready who has been link to the death of several young women, this will tragically lead McLeod to personal disaster. Astute direction by Wyler, with exceptional performances by Eleanor Parker in an Oscar nominated performance as McLeod's loving wife with a past, William Bendix as McLeod's loyal police colleague, Horace McMahon as McLeod's stern, but fair Commander, Joseph Wiseman as the hysterical thief, Michael Strong as the dim-witted thief's partner, Craig Hill as the handsome, clean-cut embezzler, Cathy O'Donnell as the embezzler's adoring wannabe girlfriend, and Lee Grant who is sensation in her Oscar nominated film debut as a Brooklynese shoplifter. An American classic. Highly Recommended.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/21/23
Full Review
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