The allure of film noir continues to captivate critics, film scholars, and cinephiles alike, owing to its profound deviation from the glitz and glamour of Classic Hollywood. Dark nihilism and emphasis on darker aspects of reality is even more profound in B-films, which made such films even more authentic representations of this genre. One of the most authentic among those is the 1945 film Detour, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, a true classic.
Based on an obscure 1939 novel by Martin M. Goldsmith, who also wrote the screenplay, the film begins with Al Roberts (played by Tom Neal), a dishevelled and downtrodden vagabond with a vague desire to escape Los Angeles. Through a series of flashbacks and Roberts' own narration, we learn how he came to be in this precarious situation. In New York City, Roberts worked as a struggling pianist in a sleazy nightclub, sharing a romantic relationship with Sue Harvey (played by Claudia Drake), a sultry bar singer. When Sue decides to try her luck in Hollywood, Roberts follows her west, but his lack of funds forces him to hitchhike across the country.
In Arizona, Roberts catches a ride with Charles Haskell Jr. (played by Edmund MacDonald), a shady Florida bookmaker en route to Los Angeles. On a rainy night, Haskell suffers a fatal heart attack and falls out of the car, his head striking a stone. Fearing that the police won't believe his story, Roberts hides the body and steals Haskell's car, money, and clothes. Later, Roberts picks up a female hitchhiker named Vera (played by Ann Savage), who turns out to have been picked up by Haskell earlier and knows that Roberts has assumed the dead man's identity. She proceeds to blackmail him into driving her to Los Angeles, setting in motion a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
Made by Producers Releasing Corporation, one of the smallest Hollywood film companies at the time, Detour was created on a small budget and in a short amount of time. This is evident in the film's rough-around-the-edges look and the inclusion of some embarrassing errors, such as having steering wheels on the right side of the car.
One of the key factors that contribute to the film's impact is its unglamorous, unpolished aesthetic. With limited settings, a simple plot, and a small number of characters, Detour is a far cry from the glamorous Hollywood productions of the time. Yet, Ulmer's skillful direction and the performances of the cast make the film's rough and raw look work in its favor. The sets and characters look more real, and the audience can accept the dark fatalism of the film much more easily than they would in a more polished production.
The film owes much of its impact and reputation to the performances of its two main stars, Tom Neal and Ann Savage. Neal, an amateur boxer, is a very unglamorous and rather passive protagonist who spends much of the film trying to convince the audience that he is a helpless victim of fate. Savage, his female onscreen partner, is sufficiently attractive but even less glamorous than Neal, and the script turns her into a rather unusual femme fatale who spends all her time insulting and threatening the protagonist in a fascinating manner.
Despite its many strengths, Detour does suffer a bit from its ending, which was forced by Joseph L. Breen, the head of the Hays Office and Hollywood's chief censor. According to the MPAA Production Code, all crimes in Hollywood films must be punished, and this constraint results in a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion.
In the years since its release, Detour has been rediscovered by critics and cinephiles alike, and its reputation has been cemented by Tom Neal's real-life misadventures, which included tumultuous relationship with actress Barbara Peyton, violent brawls, and even a stint in prison for killing his wife, adding the “life imitating art” dimension to 1945 film. Despite that, Detour remains a classic of the film noir genre, a testament to the power of atmospheric storytelling, compelling characters, and the enduring appeal of the dark and gritty world of film noir.
In 1992 Neal son Tom Neal Jr. repeated his father’s role in remake which, somewhat predictably, failed to repeat the impact of the original.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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