Detour

User Reviews

(Average=4.19 out of 5; Total Number=31)

You Will Feel What Tom Neal Feels! (rating=5)

Considered to be one of the best film noirs ever made. In my opinion, this is a darn good, rainy day/late night film. I won't tell you anything about the plot, but there are plenty of twists and surprises in this one. Simply, a piano player travels from state to state. A girlfriend that he was fond of, he called on the phone. She went to Hollywood to perform and be an actress. He misses her so he hawks everything and hitch hikes cross-country to get back together with her. So here he is on the road hitch hiking when a nice man picks him up and from there this story moves fast. This film is a must-see. It only runs 67 minutes. Alpha Video is offering a very fine print of film. Quite clear. Tom Neal had a troubled life after this film. But you can read more of that elsewhere on the web. His son, Tom Neal Jr. re-made "Detour" in 1992 and even starred in it. Ann Savage is the only member of this 1945 cast still alive. This DVD version contains an "Index" which is a chapter selection. No extras or bonuses.

A PARTICULARLY HAUNTING FILM NOIR (rating=5)

This is a short, low-budget film, but it leaves a BIG impact!
I'm not going to give away the plot except to write:
You wouldn't want to trade places with Tom Neal's character for anything by the end of the film. And you'll never pick up a hitch hiker, that's for sure. If you like film noir, this is a must-see.

Edgar G. Ulmer's "Poverty Row" B-Movie Classic Film Noir (rating=5)

"Detour" was the first classic B-movies from "Poverty Row" to be selected for the National Film Registry in 1992. Director Edgar G. Ulmer had no money and made up for the film's economic shortcomings with innovative visual techniques. The story is of Al Roberts (Tom Neal), a young piantist who is hitchhiking across the country and becomes involved in two murders he did not commit because he is, well, pretty stupid. However, Al just thinks that he is unlucky, saying at one point: "That's life. Whichever way you turn, Fate sticks out a foot to trip you." Yeah, right. Ann Savage steals the film as Vera, the femme fatale who hops a ride with Al and turns out to be one of the most unpleasant creatures even see in a film. "Detour" combines a lurid plotline and visual creativity to create a unqiue film noir classic. If you enjoy the genre and have not yet stumbled across this one, then you should make an effort to track it down.

Summary