When he reaches Arizona, he thumbs a ride with a dissipated gambler who relates a disturbing tale about a female hitchhiker he recently encountered. The main character, Al Roberts (Tom Neal), is an unemployed piano player intent on hitchhiking from New York to Hollywood where his girlfriend is a singer. The film has long enjoyed a cult reputation in Europe and among American film buffs for its existential tone. It might be extremely low-budget and it might not have any major stars but Detour (1945), with a brisk running time of only 68 minutes, may be the most bleak and nihilistic film noir thriller ever made.and that's a compliment. Instead, he must keep moving, knowing that someday he will be caught. He can never return to New York or to Los Angeles and Sue. Al knows that the police will never believe his story and sneaks out of town. From outside the bedroom door, Al pulls on the cord, accidentally killing Vera. To prevent Al from telephoning for help, Vera takes the phone in the bedroom and drunkenly falls on the bed with the phone cord wrapped around her neck. That night, in their apartment, Vera and Al get very drunk and quarrel. Al refuses, pointing out that he knows nothing about Haskell's family or his life, but Vera continues to insist. Before the sale can be completed, however, Vera tells Al that Haskell's millionaire father is dying and suggests that he impersonate Haskell. Threatening to expose Al to the police, Vera forces him to take an apartment and sell Haskell's car. Once they are under way, Vera asks Al what he has done with Haskell's body, revealing that she was the woman who scratched his hand. On the road again, Al offers a ride to a woman hitchhiker, who tells him her name is Vera. After he crosses the California state line, an exhausted Al checks into a motel to sleep. Convinced that he will be blamed for Haskell's death, Al hides the body and steals his money and identification. When Al opens the passenger-side door, Haskell falls out and hits his head. Al is unable to rouse the sleeping Haskell and stops to raise the top on the convertible. That night, while Al is driving, it starts to rain. When Al notices deep scratches on Haskell's hand, Haskell explains that a woman to whom he had given a ride scratched him after he made a sexual advance. In Arizona, a man named Charles Haskell offers him a ride to Los Angeles. Learning that she is working as a waitress, he impulsively decides to hitchhike west to join her. Some time later, Al is given a large tip and calls Sue in California. Al wants to marry Sue, but although she loves him, Sue declares that she intends to seek fame in Hollywood first. Al Roberts becomes extremely upset when a customer in the diner where he is having a cup of coffee plays a song that reminds him of his past: In New York, Al, a piano player in a nightclub, is in love with singer Sue Harvey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |