Historical thriller

Compulsion (1959): Cast & Plot

Name: Compulsion
Genre: Thriller, History, Drama, Crime
Released: 1959-04-01
Duration: 1 h 43 min
Cast: Dean Stockwell, Bradford Dillman, Orson Welles, Wilton Graff, Louise Lorimer

Compulsion is a 1959 historical thriller directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Dean Stockwell as Judd Steiner, Bradford Dillman and Orson Welles. It is based on Compulsion by Meyer Levin. It runs 1 hour 43 minutes.

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Watch the trailer Read the plot summary

Released: April 1, 1959
Runtime: 1h 43m (103 min)
Director: Richard Fleischer
Genres: Thriller , History , Drama , Crime
Original language: English
Studio: Darryl F. Zanuck Productions
Based on: Compulsion by Meyer Levin
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is Compulsion About?

The premise of Compulsion without spoilers, adapted from Compulsion by Meyer Levin. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Believing they could pull off the perfect crime, two teenage friends meticulously plan a daring thrill‑seeking caper. Overconfident, they think they’ve eliminated every trace, but a single oversight—leaving a pair of glasses at the scene—shatters their scheme and triggers a shocking fallout.

Compulsion Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags

leopold loeb case
murder of a child
reporter
death penalty
student
perfect crime
judicial system
courtroom
illinois
camera
cross examination
coroner

+38 more

judge
friend
photographer
bar
psychiatrist
chicago illinois
clarence darrow character
nathan leopold jr. character
richard loeb character
media frenzy
dominant submissive relationship
incriminating evidence
man faints
liquor flask
reflection in eyeglasses
implied homosexuality
police interrogation
partner in crime
typewriter
mother son relationship
state attorney
atheist
misogyny
life imprisonment
year 1924
social commentary
prohibition
lie
public opinion
news headlines
radio news
homosexual subtext
jury
defendant
anti death penalty
friendship
father son relationship
family relationships

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Cast & crew

Compulsion Cast & Characters

Dean Stockwell leads the cast as Judd Steiner, with Bradford Dillman as Arthur A. Straus and Orson Welles as Jonathan Wilk. Directed by Richard Fleischer; 16 actors are credited in all.

Director Richard Fleischer

Dean Stockwell as Judd Steiner
Bradford Dillman as Arthur A. Straus
Orson Welles as Jonathan Wilk
Wilton Graff as Mr. Steiner

Also Starring in Compulsion

· 12 more

Louise Lorimer Mrs. Straus aka 'Mumsy'
Robert Burton Charles Straus
Martin Milner Sid Brooks
E.G. Marshall District Attorney Harold Horn
Edward Binns Tom Daly
Colin Kenny Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Herschel Graham Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Richard Anderson Max Steiner
Robert F. Simon Police Lt. Johnson
Raoul Freeman Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Gavin MacLeod Padua - Horn's Assistant
Diane Varsi Ruth Evans

From the director

More from Richard Fleischer

More films directed by Richard Fleischer, best-rated first: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Fantastic Voyage, Soylent Green and Tora! Tora! Tora!.

Full filmography

Plot

Compulsion Plot Summary

What happens in Compulsion from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 5-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Dean Stockwell plays Judd Steiner, one half of a wealthy Chicago duo who are eager to test the boundaries of law and morality. His companion is Bradford Dillman as Artie Straus, a brilliant but ruthless classmate whose commands become more dangerous as Judd tries to prove his own intellectual superiority. Together, the two young men—raised in privilege and secure in their social status—grow convinced that Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch grants them a license to govern themselves above ordinary rules.

Full summary

The whole story of Compulsion, scene by scene

Read the full summary