The Detective (1968)

Starring: Frank Sinatra, Lee Remick, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Duvall, and Sugar Ray Robinson
Grade: B-

If Lee Remick’s character didn’t exist or had a much lesser role, there’s a good chance I would have given The Detective a much higher grade.

Summary

In New York City, Det. Sgt. Joe Leland (Sinatra) greets Officer Kelly (Sugar Ray Robinson) and walks into a crime scene headed up by Officer Mike Tanner (Patrick McVey), which seems to be any old homicide case. However, Tanner explains that this time, the victim is Leikman’s son Teddy. Next, Tanner introduces Joe to the new guy, Det. Robbie Loughlin (Al Freeman Jr.). Joe and Robbie head upstairs to see the deceased Leikman. Joe examines the body and sees that the victim’s penis was cut off, his head has been smashed in, there are cuts all over his body, and he’s got fingers missing. He asks Det. Curran (Ralph Meeker) if he knows any other details, but he doesn’t. Joe sends Det. Mercidis (Pat Henry) and Det. Nestor (Duvall) in different directions to see if they can find any other evidence of the murder weapon and whatever else. After taking a look at more possible evidence, he talks with the on-site doctor, who deduces that Leikman was gay, and this was a lovers quarrel that got settled in this most tragic way possible. Tanner interrupts them to tell Joe he has a tenant who the landlady said saw a lot of Leikman. The tenant is Carol Linjack (Dixie Marquis), who is shocked to hear the news. Nestor rejoins Joe, Robbie, and Tanner, as Carol talks about how she was good friends with Leikman and would go with him to parties as his date, so no one would suspect anything. Joe asks if he had any other gay friends, so Carol mentions his roommate, who he took in the week before. She describes the guy as an “unsavory character” with a medium build, long sideburns, black hair, and an approximate age of in his 20s or 30s. Joe sends Robbie out to send the message to state and county police.

She agrees to go down to the station to talk to the sketch artist but goes to get dressed first as she was out all night. Joe sends Tanner up with her, and she scoffs at this. Nestor assumes she’s a cop-hater, but this is why Joe likes her.

Just then, Officer Kelly is forced to let Councilman Davis through, and he tries to barge into the crime scene. Joe refuses to let him in however because Davis usually tells the newspapers everything that he knows on every crime scene he walks in on, which is outrageously unhelpful for detectives trying to do their job discreetly. Joe has Kelly take Davis outside and tells Kelly to arrest Davis if he tries anything. On the way out, Davis promises to talk to the mayor about Joe. Later, Joe gets back to the police department, and they let him know Captain Farrell (Horace McMahon) wants to see him. Upon entering Farrell’s office, Farrell asks if the Councilman Davis situation was necessary. Joe admits it wasn’t but refuses to apologize for it. Farrell flips out and talks about how Joe is dealing with the murder of the son of “one of the most successful businessmen of this city” and how headquarters won’t hesitate in shaking up this whole department if they screw around. Unphased, Joe basically says that Farrell is the one who has to deal with the politics of it all and not him, so he doesn’t really give a fuck. Sometime after, Joe goes to a party and meets with the host, his estranged wife Karen (Lee Remick). They talk for a bit, but he leaves before the conversation gets too deep, as the party isn’t really his style.

On the ride home, Joe gets a flashback to when he first met Karen, a happier time in his life.

Back when he was a lower-level cop still taking a night course in criminology, he saw her outside some gala event and walked right in and started slow dancing with her as soon as she dropped off her coat. Instantly, they hit it off. Soon after, they’re hanging out on a double date at a play, but Joe leaves it early because he hated it. His straightforwardness about his experience and him telling Karen how much her friends are a pain in the ass only makes her like him more. Later, Joe is at work and Karen comes in. She tells him she’s not sure she loves him, but he’s “the most real man” she’s ever met. They go back to Joe’s place for a drink and discuss how Joe’s whole family were cops which inspired him, and how Karen was an orphan and goes to therapy twice a week. Despite Joe disapproving of this, it quickly turns into sex. Sometime later, Karen arrives late to a football game to tell Joe she got her associate professorship. He’s happy for her and brings up what they “talked about”, meaning marriage. She’s not sure about it despite her love for him but decides it’s the right move, making the both of them as happy as can be. Back at the department, Joe walks in on Officer Harmon (Tom Atkins) being chastised for killing a civilian accidentally. It’s making news everywhere and the cops are furious. Farrell calls Harmon and Tanner into his office, so Joe follows. The scared Harmon’s explanation is all over the place, so Joe starts questioning certain details. An angry Farrell says that if he gets Harmon through this, it will be for the department and not for him.

Joe gets pissed off at Farrell and tells Harmon that if the civil rights groups don’t get him and neither does the department, he will. Then, Farrell sends Joe out of his office. A stressed-out Joe gets back home to Karen who comforts him. As he talks about how serious he takes his job and how serious his father took it as well, who cried after falling to talk down a jumper, Joe and Karen have sex.

Joe jumps out of the flashback and heads to a bar where he’s approached by some 19-year-old junkie whore he knows named Sharon Henesey. She doesn’t want to get busted and tells Joe that the cop who is giving her trouble is some guy named Callahan. Though disappointed in her, Joe agrees to look into it. Once she leaves, Farrell shows up and asks if he’s still mad at him. Joe says they’re cool. Then, Farrell points out how he always liked Joe but his refusal to conform or play nice (or “kiss ass” as Joe puts it) has stopped him from going further. He even says Joe used to be better when he was with Karen because she was such a positive influence on him. Farrell tells him that with Joe solving two homicides in the same week, his promotion was all set until the situation with Councilman Davis. The promotion for lieutenancy comes up this month, and Farrell really doesn’t want suck ass Curran to get it. He asks if Joe can solve the Leikman case in 48 hours, but he isn’t sure. He does ask Farrell to talk to Callahan and have him ease up on Sharon though, which he promises to do. Next, Farrell says that the reporters want to meet with Joe at the station the next morning about the Davis thing. Meeting with the reporters, Joe tells them Davis was “buffing”, a guy who hangs around the police, though they didn’t let him be this guy because he screwed up the “running errands” part of the job. On the way out the door, he says he expects to get a break on the Leikman case in 48 hours, and he doesn’t waiver in his confidence when they ask if they can quote him on it.

Now, the clock is officially ticking because of the timetable Joe made public. Unfortunately, not only will this case be a difficult one to solve, his peers at the department and their aggressive and unnecessary tactics don’t help Joe’s current mood. At the same time, Joe also has to deal with the stresses of his personal life because though it seemed like it ended a while ago, things start to heat up again between him and his ex-wife Karen.

My Thoughts:

Those who are fans of the Tony Rome series, be warned. Despite being sandwiched in-between the other two Frank Sinatra mystery films, The Detective is totally different in tone, style, content, and character. It’s darker, more serious, more realistic, and star Sinatra leads the action in arguably one of the finest and most tragic performances of his career. Nonetheless, this isn’t the legacy of the movie. Through a series of missteps and ill-advised decisions regarding the style of the film and its screenplay, The Detective will always have the unfortunate label of being ahead of its time and outdated simultaneously.

The intention is there. In a world full of your typical, right-wing cops reminiscent of the time period and era of film, Sinatra’s Det. Joe Leland stood out as a noticeably progressive one and he’s never shy about it. Despite this being a way to ostracize yourself from the rest of the department in most cases, Joe commands respect because his resume speaks for itself. He’s so good at being a detective and solving homicides left and right, he can get away with the attitude he has for anyone who disagrees with him. His refusal to compromise or conform has kept him from moving up any further in the department, but Joe can’t seem to change his ways. Does it take a toll on him? Would life be easier if he ignored certain things? Definitely, but he can’t change who he is. He has to do what’s right. Early on, he states his reasoning for being a cop is that “It’s the most useful and constructive thing I can do”. Joe is aware of the power he possesses in the position he’s in. Additionally, he knows how important the job is for society as a whole, which is why he wears his detective shield as a badge of honor. On paper, being on this side of the law is what exactly what Joe’s own soul needs. He always walked into this career with wholesome intentions. The sad part is that this still differs from others on the force because they don’t carry the same morals or ethics as our hero. It may be a cynical point of view for a movie, but you have to think about the time period and how accountability towards law enforcement was barely a thing back then.

Because of this, Joe is a loner. Actually, he’s accepted this for quite some time, but it’s his refusal to give into his peers’ demands in what makes him the hero he is, especially compared to the others who are technically on the same side as he is but didn’t have strong enough ideals (shoutout Det. Curran). Even when Joe is working with partners, he acts as if he’s alone more often than not. This is mostly because his beliefs and thoughts on how to approach a case or subject differs heavily from anyone on the department because he’s much more understanding of minorities, the gay community, or whoever else who is usually targeted by the aggressors in the NYPD. Though it may not sound like it, The Detective isn’t necessarily a political movie. Yes, the main character is more left-leaning in his personal beliefs, but he never claims to be. We just see it in his actions like when he expresses how he likes Carol after finding out she hates cops, or how he punches Nestor when he goes a little too far in interrogating a gay suspect. Even so, the film isn’t focused on this. It’s just used as a way to add some interesting character traits to our hero, while also using it as a way to trouble our main subject and complicate his journey. Plus, it’s not like he’s parading around a flag either, trying to get people to vote. He still has his reservations similar to the generation he came from, as evidenced from when he turns down an offer to say at Karen’s party when one of the guy’s there was about to go on about the benefits of LSD or how little he actually knows about the gay community, despite understanding it a thousand times better than his peers.

Actually, some of the more important scenes regarding this chunk of the movie were easily the most unintentionally funny scenes I’ve seen in quite some time like when Joe takes the lead on the case and sets up his plan on how to find this suspect Carol was talking about, who ended up being Tesla. His idea is to search gay-related hangouts and references gyms and weightlifting places because they all assume they have to check out where oiled-up men reside. Though this line was probably written with sincerity in 1968, it’s hysterical how clueless these detectives are in hindsight. Obviously, we know that the appeal of a film like this is because of how taboo the subject was in the late 60s. The tough part is that you have an older star like Frank Sinatra leading the pack in the midst of the “New Hollywood” movement. This forces the screenwriter to try and find a way to balance this out and deal with these hot topics to attract the younger moviegoers of the 60s, while also retaining the built-in fanbase of the older generation that Sinatra has. This is why they are talking about controversial and realistic topics, but the movie is filmed and handled in a relatively conservative way and style reminiscent of an older period of film. It just doesn’t mesh well, especially in terms of the action, events of the story, and the emotional beats. Again, the story has the potential of being a groundbreaker, but it’s filmed like a movie from the 50s and it shows. Though I commend Sinatra for using his star power to try and shed light on something different for a change, especially because of the burgeoning revolution the American film industry was beginning to enter, but The Detective just isn’t raw or creative enough in its presentation to fit the time period.

It’s noticeable that the film carries the subdued style and slower pace of a film from the early 60s and late 50s, with a star from the 50s and late 40s, about themes and topics from the late 60s and early 70s. Everything is just slightly off.

The idea is there with Sinatra, a star from a bygone era trying to cope with what the country is turning into, is a good representation of what many moviegoers of the older generation were probably going through at the time. However, trying to bring in this older crowd without the usual level of class, content, sophistication, and standards of Sinatra’s usual films probably turned off his older fans to the movie because this just isn’t what The Detective is about. In addition, the younger generation growing up at the time probably saw Sinatra’s attempt at trying to understand this evolution of society as a laughable attempt at trying to connect with them by playing the guy who “understands” them.

Then, you get moments like Colin MacIver (William Windom) saying on tape that Dr. Wendell Roberts (Lloyd Bochner) said there are no bisexuals, “There were only homosexuals without conviction”. Considering this character is a doctor in the movie, it’s hard to say what message they are trying to send with a line like this. It’s a crucial scene in which Joe (and the audience) are trying to decipher right from wrong with the secondary and tertiary characters, but uttering something like this muddies everything further, mainly because of where it’s placed at in the film and the questions surrounding Wendell and Colin that are never really answered to a satisfying degree. Screenwriter Abby Mann was trying to balance it all, but she was showing her age and limitations. Director Gordon Douglas didn’t help with this problem either. With every cool artistic choice he makes, there are so many other slow-moving, dragged-out sequences that take away from the point of it all and brings down the action with long takes and winded dialogue that outweighs the good he does. The film tries to succeed with everyone but doesn’t put out a complete enough product to satisfy either side of the coin, at least to the extent it hopes for. The content, the way it’s handled, and the action pales in comparison to the crop of movies that would enter the mainstream (dealing with similar subjects and themes) in just a few short years.

Again, some things just come off as funny such as when the cops discuss the mineral oil found in Leikman’s apartment and when one cop mentions it could be used for sex, the other cops act like they have no idea this would be a possibility and the other essentially accuses him of being gay by asking, “How would you know?”. These certain obvious insecurities are sure to get a laugh from anyone watching right now and was probably just as funny to the younger generation coming out of the 60s because of how scared these straight cops are.

Now, Joe is always focused on doing the right thing but what makes things intriguing is the proposition from Farrell to solve the homicide within two days just so Joe’s promotion to lieutenancy will be ensured. We know Joe’s a good guy and would usually never fall for this trap to lax on his morals. Even so, even he sees the bigger picture when his back is against the wall. Though it was a badass moment, he didn’t have to make his deadline of 48 hours public either, as this only forces him to come up with something to the point where he has to convince himself of a suspect’s guiltiness before he’s truly analyzed every angle. In one the more intense scenes of the film, he pressures suspect Felix Tesla (Tony Musante) to admit to the killing of Teddy, with uncomfortable tactics and eventual yelling. Even though this is a personal triumph, Joe is immediately riddled with guilt. No matter what happens, this young man will be executed because of his word. On top of that, he correctly suspects soon after that Tesla was just crazy and couldn’t handle the pressure of the confrontation. Now, they’re going to give the kid to the electric chair because Joe is believed wholeheartedly without question by members of the media and the force. Can you imagine what that does to the internal psyche of Joe? For the first time, Joe thought selfishly and relented to pressure from his boss for a promotion because he was so close to getting it, and it superseded his personal politics. Joe may want to play the role of the “white knight”, but he’s a flawed main character who has cost an innocent life. At this point, his own intuition tells him Tesla wasn’t guilty, but he didn’t speak up because it would screw everything up.

What is particularly interesting is that this doesn’t ruin Joe as a character in the eyes of the audience. Despite the awful consequences he caused because of his decisions, we still feel for Joe who almost always has the right intentions. In the striking electric chair scene, the focus on Joe as he makes eye contact with Tesla and watches in horror as Tesla is strapped to the chair and executed cuts deep. Say what you want about Sinatra’s usual tough guy antics in film, but his reactions in scenes like this work perfectly for his style of acting. All things considered, I absolutely loved the emotional moment following Tesla’s death where he just shuts his eyes as if he’s wishing for it all to go away. It’s very powerful stuff and done without a tear, something most actors rely on to garner sympathy from the audience in moments like these.

For a majority of the film, Joe’s intuition is almost always right, which is what makes him such a sought-after detective. It’s given him an almost superhero-like reputation with the media because of his ability. It’s built him up so much, you can see how others on the force have a problem with him and his success, especially with Curran and Nestor. His interactions with Nestor are easily my favorite. Played by a young Robert Duvall, Sinatra’s Joe never gives him an inch. I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not in the one scene, but when they were talking about where to search for Felix Tesla, and Joe hits us with the line about how since Nestor worked in vice, so he must know where all the gay boys hang out, I actually laughed out loud. To me, this seemed like a thinly veiled insult but based both of both guys’ reactions, it may have been Joe’s way of trying to be helpful and Sinatra’s inability to tell a funny joke in this film purposely. Again, this goes directly back to the countless, unintentionally funny parts of The Detective that have start to become endearing.

Though Joe isn’t perfect as a human being, we know how important he is to this department because if his presence wasn’t there, there’s no telling what these maniac cops would attempt to strong-arm people in the name of the law. The veterans already go back and forth with Joe as it is and Joe usually wins, but Joe has this moment of clarity when watching Robbie interrogate an old man by forcing him to take off his clothes to pressure him. Not seeing the obvious ethical issues in doing such a thing, Robbie doubles down and says he got the idea from watching newsreels of German concentration camps. Rightfully so, Joe flips out on him for treating this innocent man like a prisoner, but Robbie argues with Joe saying that he wants a promotion, and you can only get it with results, relating this to Joe getting the confession from Tesla. Realizing the lasting effects of what he’s done, he forces his fellow detective to leave the room, so he can collect his thoughts. Joe usually tries to be the gatekeeper of right and wrong in the city of New York, but he has struggled with doing the same with his fellow policemen. The stress is starting to take a toll on Joe, who again reverts back to working by his lonesome. With the exception of Dave (who doesn’t really do much in the grand scheme of things), all Joe has is his ex-wife, Karen. Though Farrell insists Joe seemed much happier when he was still with her, it’s hard to agree with this because all she brought was pain and stress, with the here-and-there exceptions of sex. It’s evidenced throughout. If we’re being honest, Karen was my biggest gripe with The Detective. Besides Lee Remick being a pretty face (and the cool close-ups of the two main characters staring directly into the camera in place of the other to show how over the moon they are for one another), the character of Karen didn’t have any qualities worth writing home about.

If she wasn’t attractive, she would have literally nothing going for her. Even in the flashbacks, we are let in on how their relationship failed, and it doesn’t take a genius to show us why. She cheated on him with several men and took no responsibility for it, passing off her whore-ish tendencies as almost a clinical problem that has to be dealt with, saying she can only have sex with random strangers. At one point, her plea to Joe in hopes of convincing him to stay, is that he’s still the only one who made her feel “like a woman”. How can you not cuss someone like this out? This is all you got? Joe, being more understanding than most would, tries to give her the benefit of the doubt the first time she’s caught cheating and forces Karen to call the man she cheated on Joe with to tell him she won’t be seeing him anymore. Though she does, she later decides to see ANOTHER guy and says she can be with anyone she chooses. Now, this would make sense if they were just talking, but since they are well into a marriage in this flashback, she’s completely in the wrong. There’s no other side to this argument. Of course, this is the moment when Karen tries to talk about her “problem”, but it just comes off as her digging her own hole further and further. During some moments in the movie, they act like she was this beacon of light for the ultra-serious Joe, as they have these conversations about life, his career, and their relationships. However, none of the conversations go anywhere of note. We know this marriage with Karen was a big part in shaping Joe’s current outlook on life. Because of this, you would think the dialogue would be carefully constructed to give us more insight into the mindsets of both characters when they were just starting out as a couple compared to where they are at years later when life circumstances evolved them.

Be that as it may, the lines during these very important scenes are so vague, it feels like they say absolutely nothing.

Sometimes, certain lines imply innuendo of some sort, but the refusal of the reserved Joe (or probably even Sinatra himself) to talk about sex directly or anything considered improper halts any serious discourse from happening to the point where they just start talking in circles until Karen fucks something up again. On top of that, no matter what the outcome of the argument is or how the general conversation between the two turn out to be, they end up having sex. It doesn’t accomplish anything. It’s just giving our main character a relationship for the sake of it. Anyone can tell you this is a toxic marriage, which is why I couldn’t believe the audacity of Farrell telling Joe to invite Karen over when they celebrate his promotion. Having a friend telling another to invite their (unofficial) ex-wife to a party is incredibly disrespectful, but after getting to know Karen because of what happens in this movie, it’s also downright stupid. Why would he consider going back to her? Why is this even teased? Why is he still unsure of what he should do in the closing moments of the movie? What does this do for the character, other than complicate his life further? Karen doesn’t offer stability of any kind, you can’t trust her, and she doesn’t even see the wrong in what she did. Sure, she’s a decent fuck for our star and is a voice Joe can talk to for comfort every once in a while, but he can get this out of LITERALLY ANYONE. At most, this just tells the viewer Joe is a little lazy in his personal life and goes back to her from time to time because he doesn’t want to work hard to establish another relationship.

On a side note, the flashback sequences went on way too long, stalled the momentum of the main plot and mystery heavily, especially because Joe’s relationship with Karen was so awful in every way, and they were placed into some of the most awkward parts of the movie. The only thing they were good for was establishing the straightforward personality Joe has always had. Plus, it gave us the chuckle-worthy scene in which Joe admits he’s not a fan of Karen going to therapy because he believes people should work out their own problems.

Well, I’m not sure what the right answer is for this couple, but Joe’s approach didn’t work either considering his marriage failed and he drinks.

Didn’t the first half of the film feel different than the second half? The tone of it all and the trajectory of the story was completely different following Tesla’s death. They even try to include some humor because it was nonexistent in the first half. Truthfully, it feels like a different film entirely and you’re not sure if the story is supposed to be about this overarching case or a character study on Joe. They bait you into thinking the latter is true for most of the film, but two new developments happen later that change the trajectory of the film/case, making it feel like a completely different product. It’s quite odd and doesn’t flow very well together, only coming to a screeching halt in the finale.

Also, I needed just a little more action. Sinatra is a badass as Joe Leland and considering all the tension-filled scenes he’s in with suspects, bad guys, and even fellow cops, the film was begging for more action or fighting of some sort. The two best moments of the movie were the shootout in the garage and Joe taking Curran outside to kick his ass in the parking lot to get the missing pages from the notebook, so he can find out more about this potential cover-up situation involving Rainbow (stockholders from the Bureau Planning Commission). Not only did these scenes show the severity of the case, but it also woke us up to the danger Joe could be walking into. This is why I’m on the fence about the reveal in the third act. On one hand, it’s an unexpected surprise that works and makes the film as memorable as it is, despite the bang-up approach to the content. On the other hand, a good chunk of the second act is made almost completely irrelevant by the reveal. After alluding to a massive conspiracy that would surely result in an explosive finale, we are given the exact opposite approach for shock affect in the tape recorder scene with Wendell. Again, it does work in its own special way, but it takes away from some much-needed excitement. You could still have the realistic ending The Detective went for while adding some action, but you could argue just as well that the reveal fit the approach of the time period and fits the tragic and authentic take on the famous archetype of the “heroic” police detective.

Was one more shootout too much to ask though? Take out one of the elongated, meaningless flashbacks with Karen and include another shootout and I think we may have something here.

This may sound morbid, but the POV shot from the guy jumping off the building to commit suicide was really cool from an artistic standpoint.

The Detective is a stark departure from Frank Sinatra’s usual starring vehicles. A flawed hero with a troubled personal life, Joe Leland works his hardest in navigating through a changing of the guard in generations while trying to fight the good fight and retain his own personal standards, quite like Sinatra was doing in real life as his star power started to fade with age. Though The Detective did a good job in bringing darker themes to light while giving us a badass protagonist to watch go up against evils on both sides of the law, an uneven story, production, and a “B” story that does nothing but waste time, only bogs down the potential of what could have been the start of something big for fans of the legend in the later portion of his career.