DETOUR (DVD) DOLBY DIGITAL MONO DVD

Detour
Edgar G. Ulmer's Detour begins when hitchhiker Al Roberts (Tom Neal) accepts a ride from affable gambler Charles Haskell Jr. (Edmund MacDonald). When Haskell suffers a fatal heart attack, Roberts, afraid that he'll be accused of murder, disposes of the body, takes the man's clothes and wallet, and begins driving the car himself. He picks up beautiful but sullen Vera (Ann Savage), who suddenly breaks the silence by asking, "What did you do with the body?" It turns out that Vera had earlier accepted a ride from Haskell and has immediately spotted Roberts as a ringer. Holding the threat of summoning the police over his head, Vera forces Roberts to continue his pose so that he can collect a legacy from Haskell's millionaire father, who hasn't seen his son in years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Tom Neal as Al Roberts Ann Savage as Vera Claudia Drake as Sue Edmund MacDonald as Charles Haskell, Jr. Tim Ryan as Diner Proprietor Esther Howard as Hedy Roger Clark as Man

Crew William Calihan, Jr. - Art Director Edward C. Jewell - Art Director Martin E. Mooney - Associate Producer Mona Barry - Costume Designer Edgar G. Ulmer - Director George McGuire - Editor Leo Erdody - Composer (Music Score) Bud Westmore - Makeup Ben Kline - Cinematographer Leon Fromkess - Producer Glenn Thompson - Set Designer Martin G. Goldsmith - Screenwriter M.M. Goldsmith - Book Author

Detour
Edgar G. Ulmer was one of the very few filmmakers who was able to carve out a distinctive and memorable style while working in the lowest depths of Hollywood's Poverty Row, and he rarely wrung more from less than in Detour. Detour was shot in a mere six days, and one look at the shoddy, minimalist sets or the clumsy, in-the-camera optical effects makes clear that this movie wasn't meant to be anything more than another dingy time-filler from PRC Pictures. But screenwriter Martin G. Goldsmith filled this tawdry crime story with a cheap but expressive poetry (the cynical bite of Tom Neal's narration and Ann Savage's venomous dialogue tapped a well of bitterness rare even in film noir of the period), and Ulmer made the most of it, filling the film with an air of dread and weary hopelessness. Ulmer's bold compositional framings and effective use of visual shorthand gives a real and effective visual style, something few of the hacks at PRC could be bothered with (cameraman Ben Kline certainly helped), and if there's little subtlety in the performances of fatalistic Tom Neal and shrewish Ann Savage, they suit the tone of the screenplay and add to the film's blunt impact. Detour isn't quite the masterwork film cultists sometimes make it out to be, but it's still a darkly fascinating little film that proves the right director could make something powerful and expressive even out of the most shoddy materials available. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
 

Library of Congress, U.S. National Film Registry (winner) Telluride Film Festival, Film Presented (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects 1: PCM mono Additional Features: none specified MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 68 min Part of Series: The Wade Williams Collection   DVD Chapters: Side #1 0. Chapters 1. Main Title [3:02] 2. Memories [6:57] 3. Al Leaves New York [4:07] 4. Al Hitches A Ride [7:32] 5. Sudden Death [5:41] 6. A New Man [4:51] 7. Al Meets Vera [8:28] 8. Hollywood [9:09] 9. Closing The Deal [4:32] 10. A Lost Son [2:34] 11. Vera'S Scheme [9:00] 12. A Twist Of Fate [1:52]