# Compulsion (1959)

> Two privileged law students pursue the perfect murder, only to face an unforgiving trial that exposes their intellectual vanity and the moral costs of punishment.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/22240

## Facts

- Runtime: 103 min
- Genres: Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
- Director: Richard Fleischer
- Cast: Dean Stockwell, Bradford Dillman, Orson Welles, E.G. Marshall, Diane Varsi, Martin Milner, Richard Anderson, Robert F. Simon
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052700/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Mood: brooding, cerebral, paranoid, classic noir night, serious movie night

## Synopsis

A chilling exploration of the human psyche and the darkness within.

## Movies like Compulsion

- [12 Angry Men (1957)](https://ember.film/movie/311)
- [Strangers on a Train (1951)](https://ember.film/movie/690)
- [Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)](https://ember.film/movie/10375)
- [The Stranger (1946)](https://ember.film/movie/12202)
- [The Paradine Case (1947)](https://ember.film/movie/19846)
- [Detective Story (1951)](https://ember.film/movie/12564)
- [The Enforcer (1951)](https://ember.film/movie/15969)
- [Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)](https://ember.film/movie/12254)
- [Anatomy of a Murder (1959)](https://ember.film/movie/64)
- [Call Northside 777 (1948)](https://ember.film/movie/15502)

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