(errol morris) it's the noir idea.e don't know what's going on, but we do know something bad is out there controlling events. for me the great noir films are films about fall guys. a person who finds himself caught in a net. the more he struggles, the deeper and deeper he becomes entwined in nightmare. (man's thoughts) did you ever want to forget anything? did you ever want to cut away a piece of your memory? (paul arthur) "detour" is the first wave of noir production. it lays out a blueprint for how the noir narrative works. there's a character who has a secure job at the beginning. has a secure relationship with a woman. the woman leaves to go to hollywood. and this man goes to join her. (man's thoughts) if only i had known what i was getting into. (paul arthur) this starts a journey where he, in an almost myth-like fashion, is picked up by a kind of messenger. but this man dies under mysterious circumstances. the hero takes on the identity of a dead man, the most desperate thing you can do in film noir. (man's thoug