The problem of absolute Good and Evil has again come to Boston, this time in a cops-and-robbers version which is likely to have a good deal more popular appeal than either "Billy Budd" or "Darkness at Noon. William Wyler's film production of "Detective Story" is a fast-moving, realistic treatment of personal tragedy, the tragedy of a public servant whose obsessive hatred of evil is carried into his private life and at length wrecks it.

The idea that human dignity must be a mixture of bad as well as good is an old one; what gives it added impetus in the film is Kirk Douglas' moving portrayal of a man whose intense idealism precludes both pity and understanding. That the hard-bitten New York detective sees his problem and realizes his inability to deal with it is the tragedy of the play. His virtual suicide at the end of the movie is not just an easy way out for the play-wright; it is the only possible resolution of the conflict.

"Detective Story" still has veiled analogies to the police state, a social problem which was strongly stressed in the Broadway version. The fact that personal tragedy is given clear precedence in the film production makes it a bit difficult to follow the shreds of comment that remain on human rights, but it is an issue which is just as well left out.

Perhaps the most outstanding thing about the production is its economy of scenery. The action all takes place within a police station, and the motley group of characters who wander in and out afford excellent comic relief between the more dramatic scenes. Lee Grant and Joseph Wiseman, particularly, are exceptional as a frightened shop-lifter and a paranoiac burglar up for life.

William Wyler had done an imaginative job of adapting Sidney Kingsley's play to the screen. He has been aided no end by the capable acting of both principles and character actors, and by some extremely effective photography.