Review of Detour (1992) by Johnny R — 13 May 2008

DETOUR.

Detour(Details here), very much an example of the classic noir, employing all the techniques that make the film-making movement great. A great resting on the central character, which can often be a downside, but director Edgar G Ulmer pull sit off nicely.

Told through flashbacks, the classical noir style, Tom Neal is Al Roberts, a man who is recollecting his recent journey from New York to Los Angeles to get with the love of his life. However via hitchhiking, he ends up in unusual and distressing circumstances as things mount up on top of him.

Tom Neal's central performance is strong enough to hold the movie well, delivering his lines with a great measure of precision which brings the whole quality of the film up a notch. The characters are quite well defined, the central characters hold an air of mystery and intrigue as well as being quite developed. However the journey of the main character jumps a little too much at the end without justification within the movie.

Edgar G Ulmer's direction is fantastic, using lighting exactly as it should be used and maximising the effects of camera movement and lining up shots carefully to create fantastic images with depth and scope. The use of music is quite prophetic and commendable, generating some nice moods and level tones, framing also has received close attention, adding to the aesthetics.

This movie however, whilst with many assets, does find itself jumping far too much at the end. The rushed conclusion holds a lack of conviction and undoes some of the good work done throughout the movie, poorly rounding things off without much impact.

Detour is a solid movie, with a poor finish. The journey throughout the film really draws in the audience and entertains as well some gorgeous cinematic structure and attention to details. Well executed, but lacking the finishing touches and the rounding it deserves. Worth watching for sure.