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Detective Story

Detective Story

Crime · Drama · 1951

Tells the story of one day in the lives of the various people who populate a police detective squad. An embittered cop, Det. Jim McLeod, leads a precinct of characters in their grim daily battle with the city's lowlife. The characters who pass through the precinct over the course of the day include a young petty embezzler, a pair of burglars, and a naive shoplifter.

Movie details

Detective Story

“The love story of a man whose wife was more woman than angel!”

1951 Crime · Drama 1h 43m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

Tells the story of one day in the lives of the various people who populate a police detective squad. An embittered cop, Det. Jim McLeod, leads a precinct of characters in their grim daily battle with the city's lowlife. The characters who pass through the precinct over the course of the day include a young petty embezzler, a pair of burglars, and a naive shoplifter.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Detective Story?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

William Wyler

Written by

Philip Yordan · Robert Wyler

Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas

Det. James McLeod

Eleanor Parker

Eleanor Parker

Mary McLeod

William Bendix

William Bendix

Det. Lou Brody

Cathy O'Donnell

Cathy O'Donnell

Susan Carmichael

George Macready

George Macready

Karl Schneider

Horace McMahon

Horace McMahon

Lt. Monaghan

Gladys George

Gladys George

Miss Hatch

Court is in session

Put Detective Story on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.