Compulsion

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Compulsion

1959,

1h 43m,

Crime/

Drama

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Watchlist

100%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

85%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Sociopathic students Artie Straus (Bradford Dillman) and Judd Steiner (Dean Stockwell) murder a boy in a philosophical exercise to commit the flawless crime. Despite their precautions, one of them inadvertently left a key piece of evidence at the crime scene, and they have been arrested and put on trial. It's up to their nationally famous attorney (Orson Welles) to save these misguided souls from execution. The film is based on the infamous Leopold and Loeb case of 1924.

Joe Lipsett

Murder Made Fiction Podcast - Bloody Disgusting

Jun 10, 2026

3/5

A mostly faithful adaptation of Leopold and Loeb, featuring a gorgeously twinky Dean Stockwell. Orson Welles steals the climax with a (maybe too long?) speech about capital punishment.

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Manny Farber

The New Leader

Sep 14, 2021

Compulsion has surprising power, the feeling of a new intellectualism being poured into the handsomely mounted "liberal" juggernauts Sam Goldwyn once produced.

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Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Nov 5, 2019

Somewhat detached in its handling of emotional tensions, this smooth screen treatment of Meyer Levin's book nonetheless generates its own sort of cobra-like hypnosis.

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Jan 10, 2017

3/5

Black-and-white classic about the Leopold-Loeb murder case.

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Lori Hoffman

Atlantic City Weekly

Mar 16, 2007

5/5

First great 'thrill killer' movie

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Rory L. Aronsky

Film Threat

May 30, 2006

4/5

[Richard] Fleischer turns the screws hard in "Compulsion.

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Jan 31, 2019

The best courtroom movie ever made!

Hagrid G

Sep 5, 2018

https://letterboxd.com/edmundpoliks/film/compulsion/

Finn W

Feb 8, 2018

Excellent film. What I don't understand is why it never tells you that its a true story. They even changed the names. Yet, movies that say "based on a true story" with the same names usually are a pack of lies. This one is almost word for word the same as what actually happened. I was amazed at details that were in the film after reading the actual case. Riveting! (Loved seeing the young Dean Stockwell after watching him so often in the TV series "Quantum Leap".)

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Leia W

Jan 20, 2018

An entertaining movie to say the least. Similar to an episode of Law & Order, approx 2/3 the movie deals with 'catching the killers' and the other 1/3 deals with the courtroom drama. The acting is great, especially when considering how old the movie is.

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Poe R

Jan 6, 2018

Good film becomes even better once Mr. Welles graces the screen.

Hagrid L

Nov 20, 2017

A bit on the dry side, but then so is the book the movie is based upon. So many familiar faces. Captain Stubing! Oscar Goldman! Al Calavicci! The film has an 'Anatomy of a Murder' vibe to it which actually didn't help. This is a story set in the 1920's but felt too much like the 1950's. I don't think the film makers even tried to tap into historical accuracy. Orson Welles does give a good performance but he doesn't show up until the last thirty minutes of the film. And why did they slap such terrible makeup on him? I would like to see a remake of this. Maybe with Tom Hanks in the Clarence Darrow role.

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Richard Fleischer

Director

Orson Welles

Jonathan Wilk

Dean Stockwell

Judd Steiner

Bradford Dillman

Arthur A. Straus

Diane Varsi

Ruth Evans

E.G. Marshall

District Attorney Harold Horn

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Synopsis

Sociopathic students Artie Straus (Bradford Dillman) and Judd Steiner (Dean Stockwell) murder a boy in a philosophical exercise to commit the flawless crime. Despite their precautions, one of them inadvertently left a key piece of evidence at the crime scene, and they have been arrested and put on trial. It's up to their nationally famous attorney (Orson Welles) to save these misguided souls from execution. The film is based on the infamous Leopold and Loeb case of 1924.

Director: Richard Fleischer
Producer: Richard D. Zanuck
Screenwriter: Brian Clark
Production Co: Darryl F. Zanuck Productions
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 1, 1959, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Runtime: 1h 43m

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