Review – Compulsion

After watching Inherit the Wind, I thought I’d keep my fictionalized Clarence Darrow streak alive with this drama based on the Leopold and Loeb case. This time around Orson Welles takes on the role. Of course he doesn’t show up until midway through. The first half of the picture is devoted to the criminals themselves, played by Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman. The circumstances surrounding the murder make them look like a pair of arrogant, cold-blooded killers. Thus when Welles finally gets around to delivering his lengthy, mumbling, rambling remarks in their defense, the outcome of the story becomes as implausible as it is inevitable. Though the last line of the picture helps redeem it a smidge, overall you’re going to need to bring some sympathy for the devil into the experience before you’re going to appreciate the labors of his advocate. Mildly amusing