‘Detour’ (1945) — A Well-Acted Slice of Noir Action

Sam: Blimey! We’ve really picked up the pace here. We have a real backlog of reviews to write.

Will: We do. What’s been going on?

Sam: Well I’ve finished my Graduate Diploma and I can now watch movies guilt free. What’s up with you?

Will: I got a job, which means I’m no longer losing my shit about the coronavirus recession. And, in my new state of benign relaxation, I’m watching loads of movies. Also I walked along the seafront a few evenings ago and wrote a long spiel on Facebook about clarity and love.

Sam: You did. I read it. I liked it.

Will: Hooray for me.

Sam: Well seeing as we have a backlog, let’s get reviewing. We watched Detour — what did you think?

Will: I found it gripping. Which might have something to do with how short it was. But it was unarguably an atmospheric, well-acted slice of noir action.

Sam: It was just over an hour, but packed a lot into it. It opens in a diner with a dejected-looking guy getting pissed off with everyone in there.

Will: He’s pissed off in that way that only mid-20th century American men wearing fedoras and sitting in bars drinking whiskey can pull off.

Sam: Most of the film follows how he got to be so pissed off… he’s hitchhiking across the country to see his girlfriend who’s gone to make it big in the motion pictures. He gets himself into a spot of bother, and fearing he’ll be in trouble with the law, does all he can to rectify the situation. But only makes it worse. Much worse.

Will: He falls in with a femme fatale, Vera, who’s totally devoid of any redeeming human qualities, and we see him struggle with her ruthless, spikey agenda. The actress, Ann Savage, did a blimin’ good job.

Sam: This was relatively cheaply made B-movie, so the cinematography was not on par with greats of the genre. There were some moments where the image was distorted due to a problem with the camera. But this isn’t a complaint; it really added to the seedy atmosphere of the film.

Will: The film was a product of ‘Poverty Row’, the system of B-Movie studios that tried to imitate the successes of Hollywood without the budget or talent to call upon. The vast majority of those films are now utterly forgotten, but for some reason Detour left an impression on enough people, so it survived this fate. Because you’re right… the technical limitations fit with the atmosphere, and the physical consequences of the tiny budget — such as shooting most of the film in a stationary car with moving background to avoid shooting on location, or constructing sets — aren’t hugely noticeable.

Sam: It certainly didn’t impact my enjoyment. All the locations felt relevant to the plot. Much of the praise needs to be given to the screenplay. It was positively crackling with poetic one-liners that have since become a cliche of the genre, but it was great to see them used earnestly.

Will: The dialogue had emotional complexity. The relationship between fierce, pitiless Vera and pathetic, defeated Al, has layers to it. There are moments of palpable sexual tension, and moments of mutual hatred, all conveyed in a relatively short amount of time. Weirdly it reminded me of The Hustler, with Paul Newman, which also featured a complex, unhealthy relationship within the narrative. In a sense these films are very different — one a B-Movie, the other a Hollywood classic with a major star — but both were elevated by a maturity of writing atypical of the period.

Sam: Due to the Hitchcockian plot elements and budget it reminded me of an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents… .

Will: I’ve a special place in my heart for films that are created against the backdrop of massive, practical challenge. Anyone can make a great film with a massive budget and a talented team of well-paid professionals, but it takes something special to make a memorable movie within tight limitations.

Sam: A great story. A great atmosphere. Some great dialogue. Another winner I think.

Will: We keep liking the films we watch… I miss the early days when we got angry with movies. Like… The Piano. The Piano was a piece of shit..

Sam: Good times. You inflicted The Piano on us, how about you choose the next one?

Will: I recently finished a book about Falmouth, where I live, and how it was shaped by the growth of British naval dominance. So, with that in mind — Mutiny on the Bounty! Also, we’ll get to look at Clark Gable’s beautiful face.

Films Referenced

Detour (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945)

The Hustler (Robert Rossen, 1961)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents… (Various, 1955–1962)

The Next Film: Mutiny on the Bounty (Frank Lloyd, 1935)