THE DETECTIVE is a film noir from 1968 which somehow happens to be old-fashioned and modern at the same time. In terms of style it's straight from the 1940s, but the sexual content and in particular the homosexuality featured here make it feel very much cutting edge of its time. I found Sinatra miscast as the lead as I feel someone younger and more with it (such as Pacino in CRUISING) would have been more appropriate. But Remick stands out in a star making role and at the very least it's different. Interesting today for its links to DIE HARD.

Only moments after this film began, I knew this was NOT your typical 1960s film! The film begins with a naked dead man being examined by detectives. Apparently he'd been murdered--and viciously so. I'd talk about that further, but IMDb has limits on the sort of words you are allowed to use in reviews--really. I read from one of the other reviews that this film was X-rated. While by today's standards it might only be rated PG-13, it still is pretty intense stuff. Additionally, the recurring theme of homosexuality make this a very interesting film-- its candor is shocking for 1968 but I appreciated it.

The detective investigating the crime is played by Frank Sinatra. Sinatra is odd in that although he's a very good cop he's also stuck with a liberal conscience--and his conscience troubles him throughout the film. What also bothers him is that although he's extremely effective on his job, other cops seem willing to do almost anything to rack up the same arrest and conviction statistics as Sinatra--and he soon gets sick of this. His disgust, however, is a lot to get a lot worse--when a case involving corruption in his department and in the city drops into his lap.

I really liked this film. Much of it was because although it was very adult, it never really seemed gratuitous. It also brought up a lot of wonderful moral questions about being a cop--and clearly was the influence for such later films as "McQ", "Dirty Harry" and "Serpico" (though this last one is based on a real case). Well worth seeing-- and an excellent performance by Sinatra. In fact, it's all so good that I am shocked that its overall IMDb score is less than 7. This film is anything but ordinary.

By the way, this film is very blunt and crude on occasions when it talks about homosexuals--and is sure to offend some. However, despite this, it's a very progressive film for its time and actually is quite sympathetic in how it deals with the subject....sympathetic and sad.

The Detective looks rather dated now but for the time it was rather daring and gritty.

Adapted from a novel by Roderick Thorp. Incidentally the sequel to the book formed the basis for Die Hard!

Joe Leland (Frank Sinatra) is a veteran New York detective investigating the gruesome death of a gay man. Although they get a confession from a suspect and Leland later gets a promotion for solving the case.

An investigation of a man who committed suicide suggests that the wrong man was convicted and executed.

Director Gordon Douglas has very much tried to keep the sprawling structure of the novel.

Leland's investigations brings him into contact with police and political corruption.

Then there is the disintegration of his marriage. The film has flashbacks as to how Leland met his wife Karen (Lee Remick) who has been having casual affairs.

There is a steely performance from Sinatra as basically a good and progressive cop. I could not help wondering that he looked too old even though Leland is a veteran cop.

There is an interesting scene where a black member of the detective team interrogates a suspect by stripping him naked. He states that is the same method used by the Nazis during the war. Another hint that police corruption and abuse was rampant.

The scenes with his wife gets in the way of the rest of the movie. The flashbacks with Leland courting Karen were not needed.

There is some casual homophobia even though for the time it was rather progressive. The footage of gay men hanging around inside the trailer of a truck looks rather amusing now.