Compulsion
1959 · Movie · 103 min · ★ 7.1 · 95% critics
Two privileged young men set out to prove they can commit a “perfect” murder, only to have their plan unravel because of a small mistake left behind. As the investigation tightens, the case moves into a tense courtroom battle where a defense attorney fights to spare them the harshest punishment.
Based on Compulsion
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Details
- Years
- 1959
- Release date
- 1959-04-01
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (165 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a serious, dialogue-driven crime and trial story about arrogance, guilt, and punishment, in the vein of Rope; Not for you if you dislike long courtroom speeches or slower pacing.
Pros: gripping courtroom drama; strong lead performances; tense moral questions | Cons: slow, talky stretches; preachy closing speech; victim underdeveloped
Themes
- death penalty
- based on novel or book
- police
- philosophy
- child murder
- based on true story
- lawyer
- courtroom
- glasses
- arrogance
- suspenseful
- superiority
- +1 more
Cast & crew
Dean Stockwell
as Judd Steiner
Bradford Dillman
as Arthur A. Straus
Orson Welles
as Jonathan Wilk
E.G. Marshall
as District Attorney Harold Horn
Diane Varsi
as Ruth Evans
Martin Milner
as Sid Brooks
Richard Anderson
as Max Steiner
Robert F. Simon
as Police Lt. Johnson
Robert Burton
as Charles Straus
Wilton Graff
as Mr. Steiner
Directed by Richard Fleischer