A movie taking place in the duration of a single day and in largely one location ? Oh yeah this is something for me. One day, one location type movies have always been a favorite of mine, so naturally I was gonna enjoy this. It's a great time and the actors (especially Kirk Douglas) really shine the entire movie. I loved the way the story unfolded and how everything interacted with each other. The ending is understandable for a story like this and it does make sense to a point, however it felt a little tacked on..

A movie taking place in the duration of a single day and in largely one location ? Oh yeah this is something for me. One day, one location type movies have always been a favorite of mine, so naturally I was gonna enjoy this. It's a great time and the actors (especially Kirk Douglas) really shine the entire movie. I loved the way the story unfolded and how everything interacted with each other. The ending is understandable for a story like this and it does make sense to a point, however it felt a little tacked on..

Caught this on TCM, the presenter before it said that if Detective Story were made a decade later he could see Sidney Lumet directing and I have to agree. The film has every character stuck together in the police office and you can't help but feel claustrophobic, it's snappy and it's plot overlaps wonderfully, you can really tell it is adapted from a play. It is a bit stuck in '51 with how it's presenting its subject matter with regards to policing but with the films ending it has a certain message about it. I liked it!

Caught this on TCM, the presenter before it said that if Detective Story were made a decade later he could see Sidney Lumet directing and I have to agree. The film has every character stuck together in the police office and you can't help but feel claustrophobic, it's snappy and it's plot overlaps wonderfully, you can really tell it is adapted from a play. It is a bit stuck in '51 with how it's presenting its subject matter with regards to policing but with the films ending it has a certain message about it. I liked it!

wanted mary to shoot him but that'll do

wanted mary to shoot him but that'll do

My film hot take it seems is that I actually don't mind when a film feels like a play in its presentation. Detective Story takes place almost entirely in one precinct and almost entirely within one room, an obvious element of the original stage production carrying over into the film adaptation. Yes, it isn't the most dynamically shot version you could pull out of this story, but in these situations I find the performances and the script have to really come through to make up for this imbalance. Luckily, a film like Detective Story has the good sense to focus on an engaging character study portrayed through an ensemble of perfectly cast performers. I wasn't entirely sure what I would be getting out of this coming in other than it being about a handful of cases passing through a New York precinct and the titular detective. What I was not expecting was a somewhat gritty piece about a cop simmering with indignance and anger who sees the people who come in and out of his jurisdiction in moral black and white. Initially, you see McLeod as a tough but judicious man who simply wants to clean the streets of crime, but slowly you start doubting how much he really cares about these people and how much he cares about his own sense of morality. And then the rug gets pulled from under us when we learn about his wife and why McLeod has spent the past year contemptuously pursuing a Dr. Schneider. It's the kind of plotline that hints at the more openly transgressive discussions Hollywood would have later in the decade about this topic but for what it is it's strikingly honest and tough to watch. All of this comes together through Kirk Douglas who is tightly wound through the whole thing, ready to spring at a moment's notice as if he feels he alone must play the protector in every room he's in. It's an incredible performance with some other real standouts in the form of Lee Grant, Eleanor Parker, and William Bendix (I'm keeping my eye on this Bendix fella). I found this quite compelling even if the last couple minutes go a bit too far in its moral underpinnings.

My film hot take it seems is that I actually don't mind when a film feels like a play in its presentation. Detective Story takes place almost entirely in one precinct and almost entirely within one room, an obvious element of the original stage production carrying over into the film adaptation. Yes, it isn't the most dynamically shot version you could pull out of this story, but in these situations I find the performances and the script have to really come through to make up for this imbalance. Luckily, a film like Detective Story has the good sense to focus on an engaging character study portrayed through an ensemble of perfectly cast performers. I wasn't entirely sure what I would be getting out of this coming in other than it being about a handful of cases passing through a New York precinct and the titular detective. What I was not expecting was a somewhat gritty piece about a cop simmering with indignance and anger who sees the people who come in and out of his jurisdiction in moral black and white. Initially, you see McLeod as a tough but judicious man who simply wants to clean the streets of crime, but slowly you start doubting how much he really cares about these people and how much he cares about his own sense of morality. And then the rug gets pulled from under us when we learn about his wife and why McLeod has spent the past year contemptuously pursuing a Dr. Schneider. It's the kind of plotline that hints at the more openly transgressive discussions Hollywood would have later in the decade about this topic but for what it is it's strikingly honest and tough to watch. All of this comes together through Kirk Douglas who is tightly wound through the whole thing, ready to spring at a moment's notice as if he feels he alone must play the protector in every room he's in. It's an incredible performance with some other real standouts in the form of Lee Grant, Eleanor Parker, and William Bendix (I'm keeping my eye on this Bendix fella). I found this quite compelling even if the last couple minutes go a bit too far in its moral underpinnings.

As my first Kirk Douglas film, I enjoyed Detective Story - particularly the very lived-in dynamics between all the detectives. Knock out performance by Douglas and the blocking of scenes was picture perfect.

However, my brain struggled watching this without seeing all of the problems with policing in the US. My dad and uncle were cops, I minored in criminal justice and I interned with my local police department after graduating. For a long time I thought I was going to be a cop. Instead I became a middle school teacher which is a better fit for me.

The lack of empathy for the offenders and assumption of guilt was infuriating to watch. I understand that his inability to compromise is McCloud's major character flaw and ultimately leads to his downfall, which worked for me - but even the cop whose processing the woman for stealing a purse, which was returned to the store, pissed me off. I couldn't help but think of how much time, money, and resources are spent on a non-violent, mostly victim-less crime. I was at least grateful when McCloud's partner finally prevailed in cutting the young man who stole from his boss a break... but the first thing I thought of was - there's no way that would have happened had he been Black!

As my first Kirk Douglas film, I enjoyed Detective Story - particularly the very lived-in dynamics between all the detectives. Knock out performance by Douglas and the blocking of scenes was picture perfect.

However, my brain struggled watching this without seeing all of the problems with policing in the US. My dad and uncle were cops, I minored in criminal justice and I interned with my local police department after graduating. For a long time I thought I was going to be a cop. Instead I became a middle school teacher which is a better fit for me.

The lack of empathy for the offenders and assumption of guilt was infuriating to watch. I understand that his inability to compromise is McCloud's major character flaw and ultimately leads to his downfall, which worked for me - but even the cop whose processing the woman for stealing a purse, which was returned to the store, pissed me off. I couldn't help but think of how much time, money, and resources are spent on a non-violent, mostly victim-less crime. I was at least grateful when McCloud's partner finally prevailed in cutting the young man who stole from his boss a break... but the first thing I thought of was - there's no way that would have happened had he been Black!