Detective Story (1951)

Directed and produced by William Wyler

It’s a hot summer afternoon in New York City, and the men of the 21st Precinct’s detective squad are having a typical day: shoplifters, embezzlers, thieves and victims come and go through their rooms. But for Detective First Grade Jim McLeod (Kirk Douglas), the day will be anything but typical, and will end in a way he never dreamed.

Despite being labeled by some as film noir, Detective Story has few elements of that genre. It is a crime-story and a character study, a psychological thriller of an unusual pattern – and a very good movie. It was originally a stage-play, and this is reflected in the settings, which are almost exclusively the detectives’ squad-room and its ancillary offices. Yet for this, it makes a compelling movie, thanks in part to the directorial skills of Wyler.

For the rest, the actors must be credited, in particular Douglas. His character calls for a great deal of emoting, and few actors emote like Douglas. At times, this may seem like over-acting, but in terms of McLeod’s personality, it’s not; it’s what happens when someone like McLeod is faced with what he finds in the story.

Detective Story is one of the few films I’ve watched in which the main character becomes less and less likeable as the movie progresses. Whether this was intended or whether there was meant to be more sympathy for McLeod, I can’t determine. But I am sure everything unfolds for the viewer as it is meant to. McLeod is an unbending man, the stone-hearted enforcer of the law, whose past will not allow him another way of seeing the world, or of interpreting the law.

Douglas does an excellent job of showing how intransigence can lead to tragedy, and how refusing to bend can lead to breakage. But the movie would not have worked without the successful performances of other actors, notably William Bendix in an atypical role as a soft-hearted policeman, and Horace McMahon as the head of the squad, who sticks up for his men no matter what, even if he hammers them for stupidity or negligence in private. Lee Grant is a stand-out in her first movie, nominated for an Oscar for her part as an awkward thief who is a witness to all that goes on in the detective squad during the day. Eleanor Parker’s role is pivotal yet, ironically, what she does or says isn’t that important; it’s her character’s past that matters.

The writing must be commended, though the story itself is melodramatic and relies on coincidence. It is better in the details. I liked that each detective was involved in more than one case at a time, moving from typing up a report on a burglary to joining others in a search to questioning someone else’s suspect. One detective (Bert Freed, later the first actor to portray Columbo) has the ill luck to arrest a shoplifter at the end of his shift, and therefore must spend hours of his own time following up the case. These elements lend realism to the background of the more emotional main story.

While the plot itself is rather contrived, and one may end up caring more about the subordinate characters than the principal, Detective Story is an excellent piece of cinema, with involving direction and fine acting.