Detective Story

Name: Detective Story
Genre: Crime, Drama
Released: 1951-10-19
Duration: 1 h 43 min
Rating: 7
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, William Bendix, Cathy O'Donnell, George Macready

1951·Movie·103 min·★ 7.0(164)

Crime Drama More English titles

“The love story of a man whose wife was more woman than angel!”

Tells the story of one day in the lives of the various people who populate a police detective squad. An embittered cop, Det. Jim McLeod, leads a precinct of characters in their grim daily battle with the city's lowlife. 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.

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Where to watch Detective Story in United States

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Click a service to open Detective Story there. Availability last verified on June 23, 2026.

Where is Detective Story streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Kanopy	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
India	—	Amazon Video
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
Canada	—	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Australia	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
Germany	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
France	Molotov TV	Apple TV Store, Orange VOD, Sooner
South Korea	wavve, Watcha	wavve

About Detective Story

Detective Story is a 1951 English-language crime and drama film directed by William Wyler. The cast is led by Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, William Bendix. It has a runtime of 1h 43m. Viewers rate it 7.0/10 across 200 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Kanopy.

Detective Story was produced by Paramount Pictures and made in United States of America. It was released on October 19, 1951.

Director: William Wyler
Writers: Philip Yordan, Robert Wyler
Release date: October 19, 1951
Original language: English
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Production: Paramount Pictures

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Detective Story cast & crew

Detective Story was directed by William Wyler and written by Philip Yordan and Robert Wyler.

The cast features Kirk Douglas as Det. James McLeod, Eleanor Parker as Mary McLeod, William Bendix as Det. Lou Brody, Cathy O'Donnell as Susan Carmichael, George Macready as Karl Schneider, and Horace McMahon as Lt. Monaghan.

Behind the camera, cinematography is by Lee Garmes and it was produced by William Wyler.

Is Detective Story worth watching?

Detective Story holds an audience score of 7.0/10 from 164 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed crime films.

At 1h 43m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy crime and drama, Detective Story is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Detective Story

In United States, you can stream Detective Story on Kanopy, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.