Detective Story

Detective Story is a film noir which tells the story of one day in the lives of the various people who populate a police detective squad. It features Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, William Bendix, Cathy O'Donnell, Lee Grant, among others. The movie was adapted by Robert Wyler and Philip Yordan from the 1949 play of the same name by Sidney Kingsley. It was directed by William Wyler. An embittered cop, Det. Jim McLeod , leads a precinct of characters in their grim daily battle with the city's lowlife. Little does he realize that his obsessive pursuit of an abortionist is leading him to... discover his wife had an abortion. The characters who pass through the precinct over the course of the day include a young petty embezzler, a pair of burglars, and a naive shoplifter. The film begins with the arrest of a shoplifter and her booking at the 21st police precinct in New York City. Outside, Det. Jim McLeod is sharing a romantic moment with his wife Mary , and they discuss the children they are planning to have. He returns to the precinct to process a young embezzler named Arthur Kindred .
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