• Trending
    • Certified Fresh & Verified Hot
    • TV Premier dates
    • New horror Movies
    • Best Movies of All Time
  • Movies
    • Movies In Theaters
    • Movies at Home
  • TV Shows
    • New TV
    • Most Popular TV
  • News
    • What to Watch
    • Guides
    • RT News
    • Awards
  • Games
    • Find Your Next Horror Watch
  • Video
  • Showtimes
  • Fanstore
  • About Rotten Tomatoes
  • Critics
  • Download the App Now
  • Logout
Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App New News Showtimes

The Detective

Play trailer Poster for The Detective 1968,  1h 54m,  Crime/ Drama/ LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 100% 8 Reviews Tomatometer 48% 500+ Ratings Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
When a gay man is viciously slain, Detective Joe Leland (Frank Sinatra) is put on the case. Joe eventually tracks down the victim's roommate, who confesses to the crime and is sentenced to death; however, the outcome of the case doesn't sit well with the detective. Norma (Jacqueline Bisset), a distraught widow, visits Joe. She believes her husband's death was no accident, but the cops don't seem to care. Joe begins to investigate, and stumbles on a cover-up related to his previous case.

Critics Reviews

View More
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times May 21, 2005
3/4
The Detective contains a fine performance by Frank Sinatra, some very good scenes of police work, and not much else. Go to Full Review
Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Oct 14, 2020
3.5/5
Featuring a compelling and notable performance from Frank Sinatra, The Detective is an enjoyable neo-noir from the late 60s reflecting realistic attitudes towards queer characters. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Aug 24, 2020
7/10
Unpolished in spots, but it's a major, influential stepping stone in the neo-noir movement. Go to Full Review
Stephen Farber Los Angeles Free Press Jan 30, 2020
The Detective belongs to its writer, Abby Mann, and he has made it into the kind of "tough," "hard-hitting," "socially conscious" picture that Hollywood used to pride itself on. Go to Full Review
Manny Farber Artforum Jun 18, 2019
There's so much particularity that the film goes from bad to good to smashing and back to good in the briefest quarters. Go to Full Review
Nathanael Hood The Retro Set Dec 28, 2018
7/10
...one of the first true neo-noirs. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews
The Detective

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Gordon Douglas

Director

Frank Sinatra

Detective Sgt. Joe Leland

Lee Remick

Karen Wagner Leland

Jacqueline Bisset

Norma MacIver

Ralph Meeker

Curran

Jack Klugman

Dave Schoenstein

More Like This

View All
Thieves 83% 78% Thieves Watchlist High Art 80% 45% High Art Watchlist Let Him Have It 84% 85% Let Him Have It Watchlist Exotica 95% 83% Exotica Watchlist When Night Is Falling 56% 80% When Night Is Falling Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

The Detective

The Detective (1968) The Detective (1968) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When a gay man is viciously slain, Detective Joe Leland (Frank Sinatra) is put on the case. Joe eventually tracks down the victim's roommate, who confesses to the crime and is sentenced to death; however, the outcome of the case doesn't sit well with the detective. Norma (Jacqueline Bisset), a distraught widow, visits Joe. She believes her husband's death was no accident, but the cops don't seem to care. Joe begins to investigate, and stumbles on a cover-up related to his previous case.
Director
Gordon Douglas
Producer
Aaron Rosenberg
Screenwriter
Abby Mann
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Arcola Pictures
Genre
Crime, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 28, 1968, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 28, 2014
Runtime
1h 54m
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings