Review of Detour (1992) by Kevin N — 16 May 2010

If you've seen a movie with a shadow in it in the last sixty-five years, chances are it was influenced by Edgar G. Ulmer's highly-stylized low-budget film noir. It's a wicked piece of fateful storytelling chock full of all kinds of inventive camera plays and light tricks, and the result is one incredibly well-made film that stands as indestructible proof that a great movie can be made on a shoestring budget.

Ulmer isn't the only talent on parade here, though; Tom Neal gives a rock solid performance which manages to be both hardboiled and sweet, and Ann Savage delivers a terrifying portrait of a woman gone mad with anger, paranoia, and poverty.