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Detective Story Movie Review

Detective Story is a 1951 crime drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Kirk Douglas. It’s a serviceable flick that ultimately did not appeal to me all that much.

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“Take a couple of drop dead pills“

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Jim McLeod, a hard-nosed detective with a dark past, encounters an assortment of criminals as he pursues a doctor who is allegedly performing illegal abortions. Based on a stage play, the film did feel like it unfortunately. William Wyler is a fantastic director, but he failed in this instance to elevate this film beyond its theatrical conventions into a cinematic piece. It’s well shot for sure, but the lack of a score and more interesting editing made it feel stagey.

This movie heavily depended on its ensemble to carry it through the finish line, which they did, but only to a degree. I am talking about Kirk Douglas, an actor who did deliver some splendid performances throughout his career, but this is not one of them. In fact, this is one of his weaker turns as he overacted the hell out of certain scenes. Also, his character is very unlikable and the film excusing his behavior did not sit well with me.

The ladies ran circles around him. Eleanor Parker was very good as his love interest. She was rightfully Oscar-nominated for this moving performance. Lee Grant was also nominated and she only appeared in a few smaller scenes, but she did make an impression and she played an interesting personality. Others ranged from forgettable to annoying as the cast of characters was too huge to support strong characterization and memorable performances all-around.

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Detective Story is all about the day in life of this detective at this police station, but because I did not care for this man and I found the others underdeveloped, I could not get fully invested in this story. It failed to grab me. The dialogue is also overly melodramatic and its themes aren’t the most relevant today. It’s very much a product of its time.