Asked to investigate the mutilation and murder of a homosexual man, a hardened police detective becomes increasingly disenchanted with the way his bureau is handling the case and their interrogation of gay suspects in this crime drama starring Frank Sinatra. Some of the actors playing gay men are a little over-the-top here, but in general, the frankness and openness with which the film treats homosexuality is nicely unexpected for a 1960s movie. There is an especially memorable scene in which Sinatra slugs a fellow officer for bragging about using German concentration camp techniques to unsettle one gay suspect. The film is needlessly complicated, however, by an awkward structure in which Sinatra's memories of how he met his wife are blended into the story. It also takes quite a while for the vastly different cases that Sinatra is investigating in the first and final thirds of the movie to overlap. The denouement is highly memorable though once the connections become clear. The final third of the movie is a little sad too as it exposes just how much of a taboo homosexuality was half a century ago. More focus on Sinatra's cases rather than Sinatra himself may have worked better here though; solid as Lee Remick may be as Sinatra's wife, their rocky marriage comes off as an unwelcome distraction from the film's unflinching look at how hard it was to be gay in the 1960s.

Frank Sinatra is Detective Joe Leland, a weary but honest, principled man who ultimately must deal with big time corruption and big time ignorance. He is assigned the case of murder victim Teddy Leikman (James Inman), the homosexual son of one of NYC's movers and shakers. Soon enough, he's working another case, that of a successful accountant, Colin MacIver (William Windom) who fell to his death at a racetrack.We in the audience suspect that these two cases are going to be connected somehow, yet we still are riveted as we watch Joe work the clues. Meanwhile, the film also functions as a moody character study, as Joe is shown in his work environment and must deal with a frustrated young wife, Karen (a radiant Lee Remick) who has a hard time remaining faithful.Frank does well in the lead role, and gives us a multi layered portrayal of a man who must deal with very bigoted colleagues who feel nothing but contempt and hatred towards gays. He feels the pressure of having to come up with results, and wonders if he hasn't fallen victim to whatever prejudices he may be harbouring."The Detective" is filmed in very competent if not stylish fashion by director Gordon Douglas ("Them!"), and has the benefit of being shot in the Panavision aspect ratio. So it always looks good. The extremely strong supporting cast helps matters a lot: Ralph Meeker, Jack Klugman, Al Freeman Jr., and Robert Duvall as Joes' fellow detectives, Horace McMahon as his superior, a memorable Tony Musante as an agitated suspect, Lloyd Bochner as a psychiatrist, and the lovely ladies Ms. Remick and Jacqueline Bisset (as the accountants' widow). A baby faced Tom Atkins makes his screen debut as a patrolman whose peers read him the riot act for an impulsive action. Look also for George Plimpton and Joe Santos among the reporters.In its time, this would have been a fairly daring examination of homophobia, whatever problems it may cause, and the victims it may create.Based on a novel by Roderick Thorp, who'd also penned "Nothing Lasts Forever", the basis for the action classic "Die Hard".Eight out of 10.

When it was first released in 1968,THE DETECTIVE was very daring in it's use of 'adult' themes such as homosexuality,nymphomania and questionable police practices,but time has taken it's toll and it has inevitably since been well outclassed in the particular above fields,further weakened by a welter of sub-plots (not helped by somewhat confusing flashbacks),and unconvincing,over-emphatic production values.By-the-book cop Joe Leland (Frank Sinatra) investigates the murder of a young gay man of a well-to-do family,while also trying to negotiate his way through police and local authority corruption,and having difficulties with his disturbed,nymphomaniac wife (Lee Remick) whose life has been marred by a rootless,unhappy childhood through the foster care system.Leland apparently finds the gay killer (Tony Musante), and observes his execution shortly afterwards, but a young widow (Jacqueline Bisset) of a wealthy businessman (William Windom) provides evidence that suggests to Leland that the case is not all as it seems.To be fair to THE DETECTIVE,it was breaking new ground at the time in it's storyline and subject matter in mainstream US film-making.And the acting involved is consistently pretty good.Sinatra is fine as a cynical,world-weary cop who has been there and seen it all,but still possesses a distinct moral integrity,whether it be fury at the often violent,bigoted attitudes of his colleagues,anger at local authority financial corruption at the expense of those who live in 'garbage cans',or heartbreak at the sexually loose behaviour of his wife Remick,leading to the destruction of his marriage.Ms Remick herself is also excellent in her relatively underwritten role,making us feel sympathy for the tragic,rather pathetic events in childhood that led to such severe adult psychological torments.Other performers like Jack Klugman,a similarly liberal-inclined colleague of Frank's,and Robert Duvall,as a wrathful,boorish associate,are perfectly adequate,but are all eventually affected by the sheer excess of heated characters and melodrama which seriously teeter on the edge of unintended farce.The slow,methodical pace engendered by Gordon Douglas,along with Sinatra's admirable underplaying, just about curtails the film from going into over-the-top stupidity,but it's a close run thing,with rampantly stereotyped homosexuals,garishly decorated gay bars,and an overly strident performance by Tony Musante as the thuggish would-be gay killer which showed that US film-making had a long way to go in portraying homosexuality in a more realistic and compassionate light.The naivety and and ham-fistedness in THE DETECTIVE regarding these matters is quite something to see nowadays,though of course what was realistic and daring 40 years ago shows what has been learned by us all since then.Douglas' other traits of direction have also badly dated (like full on close-ups of characters' in conversation), but what really drags the film down is the almost total lack of any humorous relief.Actors like Sinatra,Klugman,Remick et al are capable comic actors when given the chance,but the solemn,portentous,po-faced script gives them no opportunities whatsoever,which is a shame as shards of humour may have enhanced the drama involved and not made it come across as excessively melodramatic.THE DETECTIVE now seems an mildly interesting period piece,made at a time just before US movies became more permissive with the use of profanity and depictions of sexual acts and graphic violence.It may have actually benefited from being made several years later with such freedoms;as it is,THE DETECTIVE now seems oddly repressed,ingenuous,slick and unrealistic,saved just about by some decent,persuasive performances at it's centre.RATING:6 out of 10.

I really didn't know what to expect from this film, except that Frank is going to be a detective and probably tough, with lots of girls around him. What I got was an intelligent and realistic look at the police dept. in the 60s probing into society's sexual differences in the death of a homosexual. It has a great cast, including Lee Remick, who's always great and who seems to be attracted to movies of this ilk, like Experiment in Terror and No Way to Treat a Lady. It makes good use of time and place, and its use of flashbacks comes off surprisingly well, to portray the courtship of Frank and Lee, which you don't expect in a movie with a violent subplot in it. (But which is the subplot?) But I did appreciate its time in telling his own personal life, rather than just centering on his case. And, he's not surrounded by girls. So, if you're looking for something flashy like Dean Martin's Matt Helm, this isn't for you. It's better; it's a mature film with real life consequences. (But, yes, there is a murder to solve and Frank does it in 60s style.)