"Detective Story" takes place all in one night in the 21st precinct police station. The main character was Jim Mcleod (Kirk Douglas), an angry, unyielding, violent detective. He's the type of cop who shouldn't have a badge and a gun, but he's considered a "good cop" simply because he's not "on the take." As though the only "bad" cops are the ones who take bribes. Those who are aggressive, violent, and trigger happy aren't bad, just passionate about their jobs I suppose.
There's a Dr. Karl Schneider (George Macready) who McLeod's been hounding for a year. The doctor is accused of killing his patients and McLeod wants to see him hang.
When Dr. Schneider's lawyer, Endicott Sims (Warner Anderson), comes to the precinct to demand that McLeod keep his hands off of his client; the attorney drops some tidbits of interest to the boss there, Lt. Monaghan (Horace McMahon). It seems that McLeod may have a personal reason to keep harassing Dr. Schneider that involves his wife, Mary McLeod (Eleanor Parker).
We find out that Mary had an old school abortion. When she first came to New York she got pregnant by a smooth talking older guy named Tami Giacoppetti (Gerald Mohr). Afterwards she saw Dr. Schneider and then, after a few months, the "baby was born dead." It is clearly understood that Dr. Schneider helped in the baby being "born dead."
That would be enough for a religious man to hate a doctor, but McLeod had no idea. His reasons for roughing up the doctor was just him being a violent cop who liked to play judge and jury. Had he known, he definitely would have lorded it over his wife. When he did find out he did everything a 1950's movie would let you get away with. He even called her a "tramp."
And that's when the acting got terrible.
What is with old movies and disputes between a man and a woman? The writhing, twisting and turning by both the men and the women is like a bad soap opera. The abrupt turning away and biting of the knuckles or spontaneous sobbing is so artificial. It's awkward and uncomfortable to watch, it's so unnatural and over the top.
I'm not judging this entire movie based upon one scene. There were other things going on of interest with a few other arrestees--all more interesting than what McLeod had going on. McLeod's character brought the whole movie down. He was so angry and so on edge all the time I couldn't get over the fact he should not be a cop. In him I saw so many police officers who shouldn't have badges and it just turned my stomach.
Free on Pluto TV.
There's a Dr. Karl Schneider (George Macready) who McLeod's been hounding for a year. The doctor is accused of killing his patients and McLeod wants to see him hang.
When Dr. Schneider's lawyer, Endicott Sims (Warner Anderson), comes to the precinct to demand that McLeod keep his hands off of his client; the attorney drops some tidbits of interest to the boss there, Lt. Monaghan (Horace McMahon). It seems that McLeod may have a personal reason to keep harassing Dr. Schneider that involves his wife, Mary McLeod (Eleanor Parker).
We find out that Mary had an old school abortion. When she first came to New York she got pregnant by a smooth talking older guy named Tami Giacoppetti (Gerald Mohr). Afterwards she saw Dr. Schneider and then, after a few months, the "baby was born dead." It is clearly understood that Dr. Schneider helped in the baby being "born dead."
That would be enough for a religious man to hate a doctor, but McLeod had no idea. His reasons for roughing up the doctor was just him being a violent cop who liked to play judge and jury. Had he known, he definitely would have lorded it over his wife. When he did find out he did everything a 1950's movie would let you get away with. He even called her a "tramp."
And that's when the acting got terrible.
What is with old movies and disputes between a man and a woman? The writhing, twisting and turning by both the men and the women is like a bad soap opera. The abrupt turning away and biting of the knuckles or spontaneous sobbing is so artificial. It's awkward and uncomfortable to watch, it's so unnatural and over the top.
I'm not judging this entire movie based upon one scene. There were other things going on of interest with a few other arrestees--all more interesting than what McLeod had going on. McLeod's character brought the whole movie down. He was so angry and so on edge all the time I couldn't get over the fact he should not be a cop. In him I saw so many police officers who shouldn't have badges and it just turned my stomach.
Free on Pluto TV.