Detour (1945 movie)

Ann Savage and Tom Neal

Detour (1945) is a crime movie. It was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. Critics liked the movie. It has received a lot of praise over the years. The movie is regarded as a good example of film noir.

Detour was chosen for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The movie was remade in 1992 with Tom Neal's son Tom Neal Jr. in his father's role.

Cast

• Tom Neal as Al Roberts
• Ann Savage as Vera
• Claudia Drake as Sue Harvey
• Edmund MacDonald as Charles Haskell Jr
• Tim Ryan as Nevada Diner Proprietor
• Esther Howard as Holly, Diner Waitress
• Pat Gleason as Joe, Trucker at Diner
• Don Brodie as the Used Car Salesman

Story

Al is hitchhiking to Hollywood. A man named Haskell picks him up. Haskell accidentally dies on the road that night. Al believes the police will think he killed Haskell. He dumps Haskell's body on the side of the road. He runs away with Haskell's money and car.

The next day Al picks up Vera at a gas station. She is a drifter. She knows Al is not Haskell. She threatens to turn him over to the police if he does not obey her orders. She reads in a newspaper that Haskell's rich father wants to find his son.

Vera orders Al to pretend to be Haskell. She wants to get the man's money. Al refuses. Vera gets drunk. They argue. Al accidentally kills her. He hits the road again, but the police nab him.