Review of Detour (1992) by Sabrina I — 04 Jul 2011
One of the bleakest if not THE bleakest noir you will encounter. There is not a single uplifting message here. Everything is out of our protagonist Al's control - he feels he is doomed no matter what.
Lot's of film noir's explore these themes but few do it as to the point as DETOUR does. There's so much despair in this film! Every scene drips with impending doom and gloom. The film is an engrossing tale despite the fact that we know our miserable hero is in for it but it's still entertaining.
The performances are decent. Ann Savage is pretty memorable as a woman with a quick mouth and a mysterious past. Tom Neal is good too; sadly he never made it in Hollywood. The film obviously suffers from it's low budget.
..because of the budget it ends quicker than it otherwise would have. The plot could have been taken furthur and expanded. As it is - DETOUR is b-noir heaven. Full of flaws and gritty filmmaking. Lot's of coffee cups; smoking and character's saying 'dame'.
DETOUR is what noir is all about!
This review of Detour (1992) was written by Sabrina I on 04 Jul 2011.
Detour has generally received positive reviews.
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