Detective Story
1951 · Movie · 103 min · ★ 7.0 · 74% critics
Over the course of a single day inside a busy city police precinct, detectives process a steady stream of suspects and citizens, from small-time thieves to more serious cases. As tensions rise, one hard-line officer’s uncompromising approach collides with messy realities, forcing everyone in the station to confront pressure, morality, and the human cost of the job.
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Details
- Years
- 1951
- Release date
- 1951-10-19
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Critic score
- 74/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.0/10 (163 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want an intense, character-driven precinct drama with a claustrophobic, play-like setup and moral gray areas, in the vein of Out of the Past or Brute Force; Not for you if you dislike talky, dated crime stories.
Pros: tense one-day pressure cooker; strong ensemble drama; gritty moral questions | Cons: talky stage-like feel; dated attitudes and themes; occasional over-the-top acting
Themes
- marriage crisis
- suppressed past
- detective
- detective story
- film noir
- police detective
- police station
- tough cop
- wanting a baby
- hidden truth
- empathy
- dark secret
- +5 more
Awards & recognition
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1952 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actress · 1952 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1952 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1952 · nominated
Cast & crew
Kirk Douglas
as Det. James McLeod
Eleanor Parker
as Mary McLeod
William Bendix
as Det. Lou Brody
Cathy O'Donnell
as Susan Carmichael
George Macready
as Karl Schneider
Horace McMahon
as Lt. Monaghan
Gladys George
as Miss Hatch
Joseph Wiseman
as Charley Gennini
Lee Grant
as Shoplifter
Gerald Mohr
as Tami Giacoppetti
Directed by William Wyler