Diagonaldi Very well executed

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

alexanderdavies-99382 "The Detective" was a daring film for the times - it begs the question: how many mainstream films were there that included any gay characters? Not many at all. "The Detective" pushed the envelope in that sense and proves to be a successful attempt in presenting characters that could be described as being "underdogs." Frank Sinatra is very good as the New York police officer who is on the case of a murdered homosexual whose body is discovered in his apartment. Respected character actor William Windom is on hand to deliver one of his finest performances. Jack Klugman, Robert Duvall and Lloyd Bochner provide excellent support. There are a few twists and turns along the way and the explanation given at the end, ties up the film very well. This film deserves a much higher rating than a 6.5 - some people don't know what they are missing!

Tweekums Sergeant Joe Leland is a tough New York homicide detective with an impressive clean up rate and a reputation for rubbing the wrong people the wrong way. His latest case involves the murder of a homosexual man who had been left naked and mutilated in his apartment. He is under pressure for a quick result as he is told his promotion will be virtually guaranteed if he solves the case quickly. He is unimpressed by the way fellow officers treat members of the gay community and it isn't long before his more softly-softly approach gains a confession… even though he isn't certain of his guilt. The man is convicted and executed and newly promoted Lt Leland moves on with his life. Then a woman comes into his station asking him to reopen the investigation of her husband's death; it was judged a suicide but she is sure he would never have killed himself. As he investigates he discovers that the man had been helping some very powerful people get rich at the expense of some of the city's most needy people; something that puts him in danger and would certainly provide a motive for murder. The actual story behind the man's death is actually more shocking and forces Joe to examine his future on the force. Intertwined with these mysteries we see, partially through flashbacks, how Joe met and eventually became estranged from his wife.When I started watching this film I expected something fairly light, perhaps because it was in a triple pack with the two 'Tony Rome' films, but it is surprisingly gritty for a film of its time. The film highlights the attitudes towards homosexuality at the time and, through our protagonist's attitudes, shows that the film makers did not agree with such attitudes. The police are shown to behave in a shocking manner… at one point a suspect is questioned while naked as an upcoming detective saw a documentary showing the Nazis using the technique! The cases were interesting but the way they were linked came as a bit of a surprise and was ultimately a bit forced. Frank Sinatra was on great form as Joe Leland and the rest of the cast, which includes plenty of familiar actors, does an impressive job too. Overall I'd certainly recommend this; there is some material that modern viewers may find offensive but this is clearly shown as a bad thing rather than something viewers should accept as okay.

BJJManchester When it was first released in 1968,THE DETECTIVE was very daring in it's use of 'adult' themes such as homosexuality,nymphomania and questionable police practices,but time has taken it's toll and it has inevitably since been well outclassed in the particular above fields,further weakened by a welter of sub-plots (not helped by somewhat confusing flashbacks),and unconvincing,over-emphatic production values.By-the-book cop Joe Leland (Frank Sinatra) investigates the murder of a young gay man of a well-to-do family,while also trying to negotiate his way through police and local authority corruption,and having difficulties with his disturbed,nymphomaniac wife (Lee Remick) whose life has been marred by a rootless,unhappy childhood through the foster care system.Leland apparently finds the gay killer (Tony Musante), and observes his execution shortly afterwards, but a young widow (Jacqueline Bisset) of a wealthy businessman (William Windom) provides evidence that suggests to Leland that the case is not all as it seems.To be fair to THE DETECTIVE,it was breaking new ground at the time in it's storyline and subject matter in mainstream US film-making.And the acting involved is consistently pretty good.Sinatra is fine as a cynical,world-weary cop who has been there and seen it all,but still possesses a distinct moral integrity,whether it be fury at the often violent,bigoted attitudes of his colleagues,anger at local authority financial corruption at the expense of those who live in 'garbage cans',or heartbreak at the sexually loose behaviour of his wife Remick,leading to the destruction of his marriage.Ms Remick herself is also excellent in her relatively underwritten role,making us feel sympathy for the tragic,rather pathetic events in childhood that led to such severe adult psychological torments.Other performers like Jack Klugman,a similarly liberal-inclined colleague of Frank's,and Robert Duvall,as a wrathful,boorish associate,are perfectly adequate,but are all eventually affected by the sheer excess of heated characters and melodrama which seriously teeter on the edge of unintended farce.The slow,methodical pace engendered by Gordon Douglas,along with Sinatra's admirable underplaying, just about curtails the film from going into over-the-top stupidity,but it's a close run thing,with rampantly stereotyped homosexuals,garishly decorated gay bars,and an overly strident performance by Tony Musante as the thuggish would-be gay killer which showed that US film-making had a long way to go in portraying homosexuality in a more realistic and compassionate light.The naivety and and ham-fistedness in THE DETECTIVE regarding these matters is quite something to see nowadays,though of course what was realistic and daring 40 years ago shows what has been learned by us all since then.Douglas' other traits of direction have also badly dated (like full on close-ups of characters' in conversation), but what really drags the film down is the almost total lack of any humorous relief.Actors like Sinatra,Klugman,Remick et al are capable comic actors when given the chance,but the solemn,portentous,po-faced script gives them no opportunities whatsoever,which is a shame as shards of humour may have enhanced the drama involved and not made it come across as excessively melodramatic.THE DETECTIVE now seems an mildly interesting period piece,made at a time just before US movies became more permissive with the use of profanity and depictions of sexual acts and graphic violence.It may have actually benefited from being made several years later with such freedoms;as it is,THE DETECTIVE now seems oddly repressed,ingenuous,slick and unrealistic,saved just about by some decent,persuasive performances at it's centre.RATING:6 out of 10.

JLRMovieReviews I really didn't know what to expect from this film, except that Frank is going to be a detective and probably tough, with lots of girls around him. What I got was an intelligent and realistic look at the police dept. in the 60s probing into society's sexual differences in the death of a homosexual. It has a great cast, including Lee Remick, who's always great and who seems to be attracted to movies of this ilk, like Experiment in Terror and No Way to Treat a Lady. It makes good use of time and place, and its use of flashbacks comes off surprisingly well, to portray the courtship of Frank and Lee, which you don't expect in a movie with a violent subplot in it. (But which is the subplot?) But I did appreciate its time in telling his own personal life, rather than just centering on his case. And, he's not surrounded by girls. So, if you're looking for something flashy like Dean Martin's Matt Helm, this isn't for you. It's better; it's a mature film with real life consequences. (But, yes, there is a murder to solve and Frank does it in 60s style.)