The Detective Film as a Genre
 

The Detective Film as a Genre


The Detective Genre has been out of comission for way two long
only a few directors have taken the challenge and succeded in the past twenty-years. What come to my mind are films like Devil in the blue dress directed by Carl Franklin, Kill me again directed by John Dahl, Under Suspicion directed by Simon Moore and Twilight directed by Robert Benton and all were not giving the proper recognition to begin with. They were all done with low bugets and with the exception of Robert Benton were first or second time directors.

These directors had the guts or nothing to loose to make a film and genre that just isn't excepted to todays audiences.The last time a Detective film was thought as a great film was in the seventies films like Chinatown directed by Roman Polanski ,The Late Show directed by Benton ,Farewell ,My Lovely directed by Dick Richards.

these days the detective genre has been twisted and turn into cop suspencers or erotic thrillers that have way two much sex and violence and never follow the right presedures on how a detective film is susposed to be made "like" you only see what the detective sees. The killer is "not" so easily suspected and the all important "point-of-view" of the detective. Other such things as voice-over and snapy lines.

If you take Basic Instinct for an example there are things that the main character played by Michael Douglas knows that we the audience don't know and there's things that the audeince learns before him and things only we know plus the camera is always in front of him or behind him there are few too little point-of-view shot and no voice-over to speak of. All though it does have snapy lines and an alcholic cop for the main character.

As much as you don't want to believe that Sharon Stone is the killer it's not really hidden and the tricks they use to put you off are a bit to blatant for the audience to except but after saying all these things that the film did wrong I still think it's a great film and can be view 2nd 3rd and etc........... but it just isn't no Chinatown or for that matter a detective film.

Why do you guy think it not a popualar Genre to people anymore ?

what are your favorite Detective movie ?

1. Long Goodbye, The (1973)
It's Okay with me

2. Chinatown (1974)
Walsh: Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.

3. Harper (1966)
Harper: Keep the change
Bartender: There is no change.
Harper: [pause] Keep it anyway.

4. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Blood red kisses! White hot thrills! Mickey Spillane's latest H-bomb!

5. Big Sleep, The (1946)
Vivian: You go too far, Marlowe.
Marlowe: Those are harsh words to throw at a man, especially when he's walking out of your bedroom.

6. Night Moves (1975)

7. Late Show, The (1977)

8. Kill Me Again (1989)

9. Shamus (1973)
Shamus is a pro! He never misses!

10. Hammett (1982)

(Other great Detective Movies)
Drowning Pool, The (1975), Lady in the Lake (1947)
Maltese Falcon, The (1941) ,Marlowe (1969)

Hm, you have a point. Se7en, though a very good film, fails a little on that front too, I think. Having said that, I hvae never seen a true detective movie.

I don't see how it fails at anything. Morgan Freeman plays the part of the detective set for retirement...but just can't stop his mind from working like a detective. Brad Pitt plays the detective that's fresh to the job; new insights, new blood, but not seasoned like his counterpart, Freeman. I thought this movie accoplished everything it set out to do, and failed at nothing.

It's not so much a detective movie in that they don't "solve the crime" really. Great movie, but not one I would characterize as being in the "detective" genre as it has been defined here.

What?! Are you kidding? They totally solve the crime. They put pieces of the puzzle together the Whole movie. Every "sin" murder, brings them closer to the killer. They finally are on the right track when they bust into his apartment. That was the whole draw to the movie...watching the detectives trying to "solve the crime".:rolleyes: :D

SPOILER!





But they don't solve the crime. Spacey just walks in and gives himself up. They were solving the crime, but it wasn't Freeman and Pitt who brought it to the endgame. It was the killer himself.

Would they have caught the bad guy even given more time? Perhaps. But they weren't given the opportunity, and therefore did not "solve the crime".

Re: The Detective Film as a Genre
 

Seven does have violence, but this is the nature of the killer they are dealing with. Only one of the crimes had a sexual theme, so sex is not an issue. There wasn't a voice over...and few snappy lines. I think it's a detective movie that fits L.B.Jefferies " good detective movie" formula. They DO solve the crime. At the end, Brad Pitt had a choice to end it or win it for the killer. That's a form of solving it...to me.

Sure, if you change the whole definition of "having solved the crime" then sure, they solved the crime.

I'm glad my post is getting some good disscusions but there's really only one problem with Seven and that is, they are Homicide Detectives working for the police and the goverment they get paid every second week on the dot. A Detective works for himself decides when he'll work and who he'll work for. Police have no real say no option in what job there going to do. So a Police Detective is different for a Detective.

Hmm, well I guess I'm just mucking with technicalities all over the damn place! Detectives...solving crimes...pff...what do I know?!

Detective movie I love...Laura.

so detective movies have all that room for slimy, immoral, self serving, private dicks who have to answer to no one...they just have to get the job done and collect their fee- BLOOD SIMPLE is my favorite. M. Emmet Walsh is so perfectly slimy. for anyone who's hasn't yet seen Blood Simple, you've gotta go rent it! :p

Ace Ventura, pet detective.

Seriously though, how about The Two Jakes. I wouldn't say it's a great movie but it's not bad. I guess it's the sequel to Chinatown so maybe it doesn't count. hehe

Or, if you live in Dallas, go see it on the big screen at the Angelika since it's playing there right now.

The Two Jakes is a Detective film totally and a Good one too although it's not as good as Chinatown still a good little movie that complements the Genre nicely.

Here's a couple more great Detective Movies that I love

The Adventure of Sherlock holmes: The Hounds of the Baskervilles (1939)

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Everybody Wins (1990)

Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

Lady in the Lake (1946)

Gotham (1988)

I, the Jury (1982)

Lady in Cement (1968)

They All Laughed (1981)

Under Suspicion (1992)

i remember really liking Gotham. i'll have to check it out again.
and Lady in the Lake is unique with it's subjective camera being marlowe's eyes as he narrates.
i don't remember Under Suspicion...sounds interesting.
i don't know why true detective films wouldn't be well received today...i think they'll have a resurgence after having been pushed aside by other genres and trends.

On that Under Suspicion one, do you mean the one with Gene Hackman set in Puerto Rico? I thought that the Freeman character was definitely a cop. Pretty good movie though, it had me fooled.

No I meant the one Directed By Simon Moore with Liam Neeson in it.

here check it out at IMDB

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0105691

It's pretty cool and it's one of the few Detective movies to be made within the last 20 or so years.

patti the subjective camera work was super cool you only get to see him when he looks in mirrors at himself. One of the few movies to use it throught-out the entire movie the only other one that I can think of is called 84C MoPic (1989) and it's a war movie quite good too.
________
Prilosec Lawsuites

This is old but interesting. I'll have to look for Lady in the Lake.

Laura (1944) ~ My favorite.
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Thin Man (1934)
Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)
A Shot in the Dark (1964)

Love it, love it, love it.... One of my favorite genres, hands down.

Chinatown
Kiss Me Deadly
Blade Runner
Laura
Batman (world's greatest detective, that guy)

BladeRunner and Laura feature policemen, not private dicks. Same with Clouseau.



I miss L.B. Jeffries. :(



Anyway, L.B. named just about all the great ones, but I'll order them by my own preference...

1. Chinatown
2. The Long Goodbye
3. The Maltese Falcon
4. Night Moves
5. The Thin Man
6. Kiss Me Deadly
7. The Big Sleep (1946)
8. Angel Heart
9. Dead Again
10. The Drowning Pool
11. The Late Show
12. Gumshoe (1971)

*also Shaft (1971), Harper, Twilight, The Two Jakes, Marlowe, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Big Empty (1997). Good premise but disappointing overall are The Big Fix, Zero Effect and Where's Marlowe?. The funniest ever made is Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid.


And on TV....

1. "The Rockford Files"
2. "Moonlighting"
3. "Peter Gunn"
4. "Johnny Staccato"
5. "Honey West"