On this day in 1945, DETOUR hit theaters. No matter how many times I revisit it, Edgar G. Ulmer's bleak, grimy noir masterpiece and Ann Savage's go-for-broke performance as Vera remain startlingly, perversely enthralling.
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There may exist no better exploration of the oozing self-pity and ruinous meanness that run through human nature than DETOUR. Also there's a giant mug of despair, shadow saxophones, a surreal story about Franco-Prussian sabers, and 🔥 bickering. What more can you want from a ~68-minute crime film?
I highly recommend it (as long as you're ready for a downer, but an entertaining downer). It really is a remarkable film and it's under 70 minutes long!
One of my favorite noirs, and definitely the Platonic ideal of one. Like, if you made a noir today, and went out of your way to focus on solely the iconic noir imagery (which, of course, actual classic noir didn't generally do), it would look a lot like Detour if you did it right.
There's a fairly interesting book about Savage based partly on a memoir she started but never finished. Much of it is a filmography so I'm glad my library had it.
I had never heard of it until I listened to an episode of Filmspotting singing its praises. Took a chance and hit the Blu-ray. Holy crap - what a flick. Savage is brutal.
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