Compulsion

1959 • 103 minutes

About this movie

Compulsion, a deeply moving psychological courtroom drama, is one of several re-tellings of the infamous 1924 Leopold and Loeb killings. Artie Straus is the sadistic leader of the duo, and Judd Steiner is Straus' introverted counterpart. Both boys -- gay lovers -- are the products of affluent, privileged upbringings, and both consider themselves above conventional structures of morality. Exercising their overwhelming feelings of superiority, the two students decide to kill a young boy. Rather than repenting for their crime, Steiner and Straus then set out to further the experiment by lending aid to the authorities. Inevitably, the duo is captured and prosecuted for the murder. Defense attorney Jonathan Wilk steps in and attempts to save the boys from execution, despite never receiving any explanation from the young culprits of their crime.