Compulsion
Tags: insanity, murder

Plot synopsis:
Compulsion tells the story of Anjika Indrani, a wealthy young Cambridge graduate who is in a secret relationship with fellow graduate, Alex.
Anjika’s father, Satvick, forces her into an arranged marriage with a business associate’s son, Hardick. Satvick’s chauffeur, Don Flowers, realises Anjika is not happy with her father’s plans and says he will help her out, on the condition she spends the night with him. Anjika hates him, so she refuses at first, but reluctantly agrees eventually. Hardick collapses on a date with Anjika, and Flowers seizes the opportunity and takes him back to his flat, scattering illegal drugs everywhere, making Hardick look like a dealer.
Anjika’s parents call off the marriage, but Flowers reminds her she needs to keep up her end of the deal. Reluctant, she visits the hotel room Flowers booked and allows him to flirt with her, touch her and smell her, before the pair have sex. Anjika wakes up the next morning and quickly leaves; Flowers awakes and thanks her.
Things are not simple from then on. Anjika makes up the excuse that if Flowers stops providing her brother with drugs, she will bed him again. Flowers realizes Anjika has feelings for him, and makes her beg to take her to bed.
The pair continue in their affair, obviously strongly loving each other. Things complicate, however, when Alex and Anjika reveal their relationship and her parents strongly approve, even arranging a marriage for the two. Anjika becomes stressed, realizing her heart belongs with Flowers despite the age difference, yet she’s in denial and insists she still loves Alex.
Hardick returns and blames his messed up life on Alex, however realises Anjika is to blame. Anjika and Flowers have just had sex when Hardick arrives. He grabs Anjika but a messy Flowers appears, warning Hardick away. Hardick realizes the two had sex, but before he can speak Flowers strangles and kills him.
Anjika’s life continues to go downhill. Her affair with Flowers continues. Flowers presents her with a bracelet, however she says she can’t wear it. Anjika and her friend are collected from a nightclub and Anjika writes a flirtatious text; when asked by her friend she says it’s for Alex, however she is caught sending it to Flowers. Alex discovers this and confronts Anjika, she denies anything with Flowers.
Realizing the affair has gone way out of hand, Anjika prepares a knife for her latest date with Flowers. The two have sex but Anjika remains hesitant, saying she could get Flowers done for rape. Flowers is shocked but admits he loves Anjika and insists that she loves him too, which she does. Flowers then continues to have sex with her, although this time, Anjika pleads him not to. Flowers devastated and in love, puts the knife in her hand and begins stabbing himself in the stomach and then, caught in the moment, Anjika begins stabbing furiously into his side. She phones the police and says she’s killed a rapist.
The next shot is of Anjika and Alex emerging from their wedding. Anjika seems less than thrilled but puts on a brave smile. As she hugs her mother, she is seen to be wearing Flowers’ bracelet. She gets into the car and stares as the new chauffeur gets in the front seat. She looks out of the window sadly, implying she truly was in love with Flowers.

Review: Here, in "Compulsion" his performance is worthy of an Oscar and in fact he go the accolades at the Cannes Film Festival sharing the acting honors with Orson Welles and Bradford Dillman.
Orson Welles has a great entrance into the film and E.G Marshall is superb as per usual, it is the rest of the cast who seem a bit dated, specially when sharing the frame with the extraordinary Dean Stockwell.
It won acting awards for Stockwell, Dillman and Orson Welles at the Cannes Film Festival but with the benefit of hindsight, Dean Stockwell emerges as the winner against the famous test of time.
Loosely based on the true story of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, this version stars Dean Stockwell (as Judd Steiner) and Bradford Dillman (as Artie Straus), with Orson Welles (as Jonathan Wilk).
But, Roddy McDowell is replaced by Dillman as "Artie"; in hindsight, this may seem like a grievous error - but, thankfully, Dillman excels in the role.Stockwell, Dillman, and Mr. Welles shared the "Best Actor" award for 1959, at the Cannes Film Festival; and, Fleischer was nominated for "Best Director".
A young girl (Diane Varsi) will testify for them .This highly interesting film is inspired on real events about Nathan Leopold-Richard Lob killing case in Chicago of the 1920s .
This is the second of four film adaptations of the Leopold-Loeb murder case , other versions about same events are the famous ¨The rope¨ (1948) by Hithcock with John Dall (in the character of Bradford Dillman )and Farley Granger (in the role of Dean Stockwell), ¨Swoon¨ and recently ¨Murder by numbers¨ by Barbet Schroeder with Michael Pitt and Ryan Gosling .
It's not a perfectly smooth exploration, but it's interesting and even edgy at times, and has a great late 1950s black and white clarity to the filming that makes everything stark.With the lawyer played by Welles we are shifted into a more conventional courtroom drama, a good one, but with some common tactics (the courtroom scene in Lady from Shanghai blows it away for originality, if you want one comparison), and with a long long long capstone speech by our man Orson.
As a result of his handling of this film, Director Richard Fleischer either inherited a reputation for his skill at telling stories about flawed murderous characters or he was attracted to the subject (The Boston Strangler" in '68 ~ "Ten Rillington Place" in '71) Whatever the driving forces he surely displayed a natural talent to examine, and chill, within the genre.
Its even possible this philosophy and his 'will to power' could arguably be attributed to the actions of certain members of the ruling class, perhaps even forming part of the disastrous 'causes' of World War 1, etc (as a contributing force behind the philosophical reasonings of the day)The characters that form the homosexual duo of this shocking case are representational of the 'Crime of the Century' murderers: Leopold and Loeb.
Diani Varsi playing the lukewarm love interest, adds very little to the film.Overall, this re-telling of the famous Leopold-Loeb case of the 1920s was worth the watch and recommended.
The figure of Wilke is based on the real lawyer of the Leopold and Loeb case: Clarence Darrow, a man larger than life.Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman made an invaluable contribution to the success of the film.
Mellor.Based upon the real life Leopold and Loeb murder trial of the 1920s, Compulsion finds Artie Strauss (Dillman) and Judd Steiner (Stockwell) as two well to do young men attempting to commit the perfect crime - murder!
Enter famed attorney Jonathan Wilk (Welles), who fights to keep them from the death penalty.Healthily rated in some quarters, it's a film that actually does divide opinions, which when all is considered is unsurprising given the capital punishment core of the story.
In 1924 Chicago, two rich college students, Judd Steiner (Dean Stockwell) and Arthur Strauss (Bradford Dillman), decide they can commit the perfect murder and get away with.
They kill a young teenager, Paulie Kessler, but through the efforts of part-time reporter and fellow student Sid Brooks, a pair of glasses left at the scene is traced to the murderers.Being familiar with the Leopold and Loeb case, though not the novel this film is based on, I must say I am impressed with how closely they followed the events.
Two wealthy, sociopath students plan and execute a 'perfect' crime to prove their infallibility, but are discovered, then convicted of the brutal murder only to face their own mortality at the hands of a public baying for their blood.The film's success is often attributed to Welles and his one-man act to persuade the judge that capital punishment is an internecine solution, more heinous than the crime itself.
At least in that film the prosecutor (Will Geer) was allowed to point out the ruthlessness of the butchery of the Clutter family, in Compulsion the victim (the little boy) is nothing more than a plot device.That aside, the performances of Stockwell, Dillman, Marshall, Macleod and even Welles are great and this is a very interesting film..
There was, of course, Hitchcock's ROPE, the independent film SWOON, and a musical, THRILL ME, which recently played at the York Theater in New York.This version stars Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman as the killers who believed that they were supermen as described by Nietzsche.
It didn't work like that and they escaped death penalty just because their parents could afford Clarence Darrow a top criminal lawyer back then; they ended up in prison for life (Leopold died there during a fight with other interns and Loeb was released as an old man and died shortly after).Richard Fleischer was a daring director that didn't hesitate in taking any genre in films, so he gave us such good different products as "The Vikings", "Soylent Green", "Tora, Tora, Tora", "The Boston Strangler", "Barabbas" or "Blind Terror".Fleischer deals here with the Leopold and Loeb case (all names have been changed) and gets an interesting and entertaining movie.
The black and white photography is adequate for the sordid atmosphere of the film, the script is acceptable -the director takes the most of it- and the actors are well directed getting of them more than they usually gave in the case of Bradford Dillman and Dean Stockwell (he nevertheless gave fine performances as an adult later).Orson Welles plays the lawyer most convincingly and shows his undeniable talent mainly in his final statement in court (how on earth could he go into those cheap and bad Italian sort of "peplum" products as "David and Goliath" and "The Tartars" right after this one we'll never now!)."Compulsion" is a fine film with the inevitable limitations proper of dealing with real facts and the idea of following them accurately.
Director Richard Fleischer obviously has an interest in true crime, what with this and the excellent 10 Rillington Place, and he's certainly very good at directing films based on real life cases.
The case is often billed as "The Trial of the Century" (along with a number of other cases), and is perhaps best remembered for the eloquent marathon speech delivered by lawyer Clarence Darrow (played in this film by the great Orson Welles).
But their "perfect crime" was not quite as perfect as they had thought: it quickly unraveled, and with the celebrated Clarence Darrow appearing for the defense the court case became as legendary as the crime.The 1959 film COMPULSION, based on the Leopold-Loeb case, had a great deal going for it.
But the film ran afoul of two issues: censorship codes of the day, which effectively prevented a no-holds-barred re-telling of the case, and the fact that Nathan Leopold was still very much alive.The result was a script that transformed Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb into characters named 'Judd Steiner' and 'Artie Straus' and which renamed Clarence Darrow 'Jonathan Wilk'--and which can only imply in vaguest possible terms aspects of the case that most find particularly fascinating.
The memorable performances and stylish look of the film make it more than worth seeing, but any one who is familiar with the Leopold-Loeb case will be disappointed--and even those who aren't will likely consider that one viewing is enough.
The movie starts powerfully, as Stockwell and Dillman run down a drunk man; shot in glistening close-up, the combination of the instantly off-kilter performances and the lurid opening title design promises an extremely edgy, expressionistic work - a prospect borne out by the opening scenes that add further depth to the boys' relationship (intriguing because Stockwell appears to have the philosophical upper hand, whereas Dillman carries the greater effective weight through sheer goading and twisted charisma).Gradually though the mechanics of the case take over, and such digressions as Varsi's plaintive affection for Stockwell (while her own boyfriend is a reporter who stumbles on the lead about the glasses) add very little.
The LEOPOLD-LOEB case(thrill murder of an small boy) is the story, but the acting is the reason for the movie.
If I did not know any better I'd say the film was financed by the millionaire families of Leopold- Loeb (the real-life killers on whom the film is based) in an attempt to lessen what was in reality nothing less than the cold blooded murder of a 12-year-old boy by two spoilt rich kids who thought their so-called superior intellects put them above the law.
***SPOILERS*** Highly fictionalized version, in order to protect the guilty, of what was then in 1924 called the "Crime of the Century" as the notorious L & L Boys Leopold & Loeb kidnapped and murdered 14 year old Bobby Franks for no other reason then to see if they can get away with it.
Here we have what they call themselves Nietzshche style "Ubermenschen" or Supermen the spoiled and snotty Judd Steiner & Artie Strauss, Dean Stockwell & Bradford Dillman, in their hair brain plan and execution of the the perfect crime that they screwed up so badly, in not covering their tracks, that they were caught almost overnight and faced execution themselves.We never get to see the "Boys" or "Boychicks" in Yiddish going into action in their brutal kidnap and murder of little Paulie Kessler-The Bobby Franks character- but we do see them make, despite their super high intelligence, complete fools of themselves in murdering him.
With defense attorney Jonathan Wilk, Orson Wells, taking on the case Pro Bono to defend the two spoiled and murderous brats he plans to use an insanity defense to get them off the hook or the hangman's rope by avoiding a jury trial that he felt he had no hope of winning.
It's best to look at Compulsion in two halves: the first half starts off with Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman just coming off of their crime and the former holding his stolen typewriter (this isn't shown at all, so maybe, for just half a second, one might wonder if they're the killers...
But enter in Jonathan Wilk (Orson Welles), inspired by Clarence Darrow - as the case is the Leopold-Loeb inspired one - who is here as the Best Trial Lawyer In The Country (in caps) there to not say they don't deserve to be punished, but that they don't deserve to die so quickly.Many will remember this for the final courtroom monologue that Welles delivers.
We get some of the dry wit that we may see in other Welles performances (i.e. Third Man), but here it's different as his character Wilk gives his impassioned plea.It's as if he can barely argue anymore, and he's just trying to talk to the people of the court - the judge especially, as due to reasons there's no jury for this case - and why Capital punishment shouldn't occur here, despite the heinous act.
Compulsion (1959) *** (out of 4) Law students Judd Steiner (Dean Stockwell) and Arthur Straus (Bradford Dillman) kill a young boy just to see what murder is like.
The real-life Leopold-Loeb murder case, which inspired Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope," among other films, is the basis for this story of a couple of rich young men committing a murder just for the thrill of trying to pull off the perfect crime.
We are back to the Leopold-Loeb murder as two wealthy students think they are more cleverer than their fellow man and think that rules or morals do not apply to them.Artie Straus (Bradford Dillman) is the dominant one who prompts, provokes and persuades Judd Steiner (Dean Stockwell) along with himself to kidnap and kill.
However Steiner inadvertently left something behind that leads to suspicion towards the two.When it comes to the trial, noted heavyweight attorney, Jonathan Wilk (Orson Welles) is hired who needs to save these two young men from the death penalty.The film is starkly shot in black and white and is set in 1924.
Neither Dean Stockewell nor Bradford Dillman lights up the screen in the leading roles, thus the film's success falls on the ample shoulders of Orson Welles, playing a Clarence Darrow lawyer, and he hams it up so shamelessly as to nearly sink the movie altogether.
Welles acts it well enough, but when the judge was choked up after he finished, I laughed, thinking that the little stutter he gives could be attributed to his nodding off, too.Before I finish, I do have to commend the cinematography and the excellent performances of Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman, the two murderers, and E.G. Marshall, who is excellent as the D.A. I'd also like to ask if anyone else noticed the similarities between Judd (Stockwell) and Norman Bates of Psycho?
As others has mentioned, Dean Stockwell turns in the best performance in the film (although that's not saying much) Welles plays the role that made him famous, but here he does so without much effort or, it seems, interest; just going through his tried and tested routine.
One, great performances from a young Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman and the other being Orson Welles getting top billing despite not appearing on screen till about 70 minutes in.
And the film concludes with their courtroom trial.Arty (Bradford Dillman) and Judd (Dean Stockwell) are best buds.
The story is based on true-life events of the infamous Leopold and Loeb murder case of the 1920s.The film's plot is erratic and lacks focus.
He married, moved to Puerto Rico where he worked as a nurse, and died in 1971.COMPULSION is based on a novel by Meyer Levin (a best seller in the late 1950s), that was based on the case, changing the names of Leopold and Loeb to Artie Strauss and Judd Steiner.
The film only goes through the crime and the trial, culminating in the performance of Orson Welles as Jonathan Wilkes (a.k.a. Clarence Darrow).
For some reason her performance is considered weak - actually while not fascinating it was more than competent.The film does show the crime in it's aftermath (unlike the other film version of the Leopold-Loeb Case - ROPE - this movie does not the actual murder).
Ruth (Diane Varsi) came across as far too forgiving of Judd after her encounter with him, and frankly, the rather long-winded speech by Orson Welles (playing attorney Jonathon Wilk) to the judge at the end of the movie was too long-winded, even though I agreed with some of it.
The dark story based on a true murder case is supported by magnificent performances, highlighting Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman in the roles of arrogant and psychotic millionaires that expect to commit a perfect crime and Orson Welles in the lesser but relevant role of a smart lawyer.
Richard Loeb is Arthur "Artie" Straus (Bradford Dillman); Nathan Leopold is Judd Steiner (Dean Stockwell); and Clarence Darrow, the famous lawyer who defended them, is Jonathan Wilk (Orson Welles).One of the great ironies of the story is the way these two geniuses planned their perfect murder for seven months, and yet they made one stupid mistake after another.
Based on the real Leopold and Loeb murder case, Compulsion is a powerful film full of darkly magnetic performances.
Arty Straus(Bradford Dillmon), a mama's boy sadist, and his submissive friend Judd Steiner(Dean Stockwell)stand trial in Chicago for kidnapping and cold-blooded murder.
Director Richard Fleischer handles this story of Leopold (Judd Steiner/Dean Stockwell) and Loeb (Artie Strauss/Bradford Dillman) with functional and aesthetic aplomb.
I preferred Hitchcock's 'Rope', another answer to the Leopold and Loeb story, however this one has it's merits, particularly in Dean Stockwell's compulsively watchable performance as one of the murderers...
This 1959 film starts off quite well with Dean Stockwell and Brad Dillman giving phenomenal performances as Leopold and Loeb like guys.
It is their belief that they can do as they please, thus leading to tragedy and their ultimate downfall.Obviously, this picture is based on the famous thrill killing of Bobby Franks, age 14, by Leopold and Loeb in the 1920's Chicago.For 2 supposedly brilliant boys planning the perfect murder, their plot fizzles quickly thanks to excellent detective work by E.G. Marshall and their carelessness.As Stockwell's girlfriend, Diane Varsi, who plays Ruth, lacks the emotional wallop that she gave in her Oscar nominated performance of "Peyton Place."The film goes downhill when it becomes a preachy indictment of capital punishment.
This is an extremely well written, acted, directed and very tense drama film based closely on the Leopold and Loeb case, one of the most infamous murder trials of the 20th Century in which two teenage geniuses kidnapped and murdered a 14-year-old boy named Bobby Franks in order to commit the perfect crime.
Leopold and Loeb's motivations and actions are ascribed to their fictional stand-ins Judd Steiner and Artie Strauss.Steiner and Strauss are extremely compelling characters played very well by Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman respectively.
All hands turn in solid work from Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman as the sociopaths, E.G. Marshall as the State prosecutor and above all Orson Welles who dominates the last hour as Jonathan Wilk, a lightly fictionalised Clarence Darrow.