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Detour

Play trailer Poster for Detour 1945 1h 9m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
98% Tomatometer 42 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In New York, piano player Al Roberts (Tom Neal) laments when his singer girlfriend, Sue Harvey (Claudia Drake), leaves for Hollywood, Calif. When Al gets some money, he decides to hitchhike to California to join Sue. In Arizona, Al accepts a ride with Charles Haskell (Edmund MacDonald), but during a storm in a freak accident, Haskell is killed. Frightened, Al assumes Haskell's identity and car, but soon comes upon the mysterious Vera (Ann Savage), who seems to know all about his true identity.
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Detour

Detour

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Critics Consensus

Stylish and gripping, Detour offers further proof that a patsy and a femme fatale often add up to a satisfying story.

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Critics Reviews

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Mildred Martin Philadelphia Inquirer Dec 29, 2020
Tom Neal does extremely well in the long, difficult role of the petrified pianist whose misadventures are told in flashback; while Ann Savage all but blisters the screen with her venoemous, snarling performance as the vicious Vera. Go to Full Review Wanda Hale New York Daily News Dec 29, 2020
2/4
[Detour] is a morbid melodrama, depressing and uninteresting. Go to Full Review LA Times Staff Los Angeles Times Dec 29, 2020
One of the most poignant and disturbing stories to reach the screen in any year is this one. You're not just looking at a picture; you're right in it and suffering along with the man whose troubles are being told. Go to Full Review Fedor Tot Vague Visages Nov 7, 2023
Detour plays like a fever dream powered by guilt and dread; an existential noir about an American male lost in the nothingness and vastness of the country. Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Dec 3, 2022
I like to think of Edgar G. Ulmer’s waking nightmare Detour (1945), an existential, almost surreal thriller, as the “B”-est film noir ever made. Go to Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm Apr 6, 2021
3.5/4
...a quick, grimy, and above all else guilty picture. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kyle M @RT77296778 Jun 24, 2026 Independent cinema with waived technical issues amid processing the plot’s effectively framed mentality with sympathetic examination, brewing so performatively captivating being sharply delivered albeit occasionally unevenly and minorly contradicting. (B) See more Horror fan 4 @Horrorfan4life Jun 16, 2026 What a great movie. I love the narration done by the lead actor. All told from sitting at a counter at a small town diner. Tom Neal and Ann Savage were great on screen together. The fact that a simple man trying to get to his woman sue gets caught up in a death and being bribed just makes for a interesting watch. Ann Savage was just that Savage. Tim Treakle See more Tyler W. @Tyler62 Apr 9, 2026 Wonderful movie. Great cinematic camera angles. Wonderfully designed film noir. See more Guillermo A @Guillermo.Almeida Jan 24, 2026 The lonely journey into the abyss... Great movie! See more Insomniac X @RT03001349 Feb 1, 2025 Frank performances and diabolical twists drive this simple tale of a road trip gone wrong. The dark synchronicities at play here emanate from the protagonist's bitter outlook, and make for an effective cautionary tale. Bonus points for brevity, at just 68 minutes. See more Will G @Wgoodeve Feb 1, 2025 A great classic Hollywood movie! It was about a man who is hitchhiking. There is drama and suspense. It was cool to see the old cars. I guess a lot of people wore fedoras back then. See more Read all reviews
Detour

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Cast & Crew

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Edgar G. Ulmer

Director

Tom Neal

Al Roberts

Ann Savage

Vera

Claudia Drake

Sue Harvey

Edmund MacDonald

Charles Haskell Jr

Tim Ryan

Nevada Diner Proprietor

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Detour

Detour (1945) Detour (1945) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In New York, piano player Al Roberts (Tom Neal) laments when his singer girlfriend, Sue Harvey (Claudia Drake), leaves for Hollywood, Calif. When Al gets some money, he decides to hitchhike to California to join Sue. In Arizona, Al accepts a ride with Charles Haskell (Edmund MacDonald), but during a storm in a freak accident, Haskell is killed. Frightened, Al assumes Haskell's identity and car, but soon comes upon the mysterious Vera (Ann Savage), who seems to know all about his true identity.
Director
Edgar G. Ulmer
Producer
Leon Fromkess
Screenwriter
Martin Goldsmith
Production Co
Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 30, 1945, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.2K
Runtime
1h 9m
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