Overview
A man's desperate journey spirals into a web of deceit and danger after a fateful hitchhike.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- bleak
- paranoid
- dread-filled
- late night viewing
- classic noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a sharply atmospheric, highly inventive low-budget film noir whose fatalistic nightmare quality outweighs its uneven performances and implausibilities.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Al Roberts assumes a dead gambler’s identity and finds each effort to avoid the police deepening his criminal predicament.
The brief PRC production turns limited resources, sparse locations, and ominous road imagery into a severe noir atmosphere.
Vera blackmails and bullies Roberts, converting his assumed identity and fear of exposure into leverage.
Roberts recounts the road journey in flashback with accompanying narration, filtering the apparent chain of fate through his own fearful account.
Films like Detour, and why
The Hitch-Hiker
shared fatalism, noir atmosphere, criminal entanglement, and morally compromised protagonist
Double Indemnity
shared film noir fatalism, identity deception, blackmail, and claustrophobic crime tension
The Postman Always Rings Twice
shared road movie structure, alienation, paranoia, and bleak crime-driven inevitability
Movie Details
- Director
- Edgar G. Ulmer
- Release Date
- 1945-11-30
- Runtime
- 68 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (426)
Cast
- Tom Neal
- Ann Savage
- Claudia Drake
- Edmund MacDonald
- Tim Ryan
- Esther Howard
- Pat Gleason
- Don Brodie
- Roger Clark
- Eddie Hall
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Brew, YouTube TV, MGM Plus, FlixFling, IndieFlix, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling, MovieMe
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Detour about?
- A desperate pianist’s hitchhiking journey becomes a stark noir nightmare of stolen identity, blackmail, and inexorable misfortune.
- What is Detour like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Detour as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Detour violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Detour as mild.
- What did critics think of Detour?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a sharply atmospheric, highly inventive low-budget film noir whose fatalistic nightmare quality outweighs its uneven performances and implausibilities.
- Which films are like Detour?
- Films with a similar feel include The Hitch-Hiker, Double Indemnity, and The Postman Always Rings Twice.
- How long is Detour?
- Detour runs 68 minutes.
- Where can I watch Detour?
- In United States, Detour streams on Amazon Prime Video, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Brew, YouTube TV, MGM Plus, FlixFling, IndieFlix, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel.
