Film Forum

U.S., 1959
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Starring Dean Stockwell, Bradford Dillman, Orson Welles
Approx. 103 min.

Fictionalized version of the Leopold-Loeb case, with Welles arriving late as the Clarence Darrow figure, his summing up for the defense of thrill-killers Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman an electrifying tour de force.

Presented with support from The Robert Jolin Osborne Endowed Fund for American Classic Cinema of the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s and The Ada Katz Fund for Literature in Film

Reviews

“Its artistry lies in the outstanding performances by the leads, the crisp and natural dialogue... and the highly efficient direction of Richard Fleischer. They are never blatant but nearly always fascinatingly professional in their deft handling of the causes and effects of an outrageous act of violence in a civilized society.”
– The New York Times

“Welles’ flamboyant incarnation of Clarence Darrow lends scale and vigor to this 1959 thriller.”
– Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader