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Detour

Play trailer Poster for Detour 1945 1h 9m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 42 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
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.
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Detour

Detour

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Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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Mildred Martin Philadelphia Inquirer 12/29/2020
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. Go to Full Review Wanda Hale New York Daily News 12/29/2020
2/4
[Detour] is a morbid melodrama, depressing and uninteresting. Go to Full Review LA Times Staff Los Angeles Times 12/29/2020
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. Go to Full Review Fedor Tot Vague Visages 11/07/2023
Detour plays like a fever dream powered by guilt and dread; an existential noir about an American male lost in the nothingness and vastness of the country. Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 12/03/2022
I like to think of Edgar G. Ulmer’s waking nightmare Detour (1945), an existential, almost surreal thriller, as the “B”-est film noir ever made. Go to Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm 04/06/2021
3.5/4
...a quick, grimy, and above all else guilty picture. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Insomniac X Feb 1 Frank performances and diabolical twists drive this simple tale of a road trip gone wrong. The dark synchronicities at play here emanate from the protagonist's bitter outlook, and make for an effective cautionary tale. Bonus points for brevity, at just 68 minutes. See more Will G Feb 1 A great classic Hollywood movie! It was about a man who is hitchhiking. There is drama and suspense. It was cool to see the old cars. I guess a lot of people wore fedoras back then. See more Leaburn O 10/02/2024 A great era for cinema and this dark, short story is perfectly told and acted. It’s a slim plot and a little ridiculous but very atmospheric. Watched on Amazon Prime. See more Luis M. D 06/15/2024 A relatively simple story with no twists or complications but able to catch my attention and kept me interested. See more Alec B 06/09/2024 There's a desperation to these characters that is different than you typically get from noirs. Also I think I buy the unreliable narrator interpretation, this guy is probably a stone cold killer. See more j f @LiberteBurrows 02/12/2023 Ann Savage crazy good See more Read all reviews
Detour

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Cast & Crew

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Edgar G. Ulmer

Director

Tom Neal

Al Roberts

Ann Savage

Vera

Claudia Drake

Sue Harvey

Edmund MacDonald

Charles Haskell Jr

Tim Ryan

Nevada Diner Proprietor

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Detour

Detour (1945) Detour (1945) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis 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.
Director
Edgar G. Ulmer
Producer
Leon Fromkess
Screenwriter
Martin Goldsmith
Production Co
Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 30, 1945, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.2K
Runtime
1h 9m
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