ACitizenCalledKane Review of Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil (1958)

Universal had no clue of how great Orson Welles' direction was!

[9/10 · 8 February 2005]

From the famous opening shot panning from a doomed car carrying a ticking bomb, Orson Welles begins building the suspense. Welles also uses this opening seen to introduce practically every character in the film so you immediately have a feel for the shady world you're about to enter. Aside from lending his directorial genius to Touch of Evil, Mr. Welles also contributes his performance as the grotesquely obese, crooked Police Captain Hank Quinlan, one of the great screen villains of all time! His prejudice is as complete as his corruption as he abuses his power as a police officer to enforce justice as he sees fit. Quinlan's method of operations comes into question when the honey-mooning Mike and Susan Vargas (Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh, respectively) find themselves at the scene of an explosion. Vargas, an up-and-coming Mexican narcotics officer (yes, Heston plays a Mexican, but the film is very good despite this question of casting) is waiting to testify in a case against a Mexican narcotics ring. Vargas, begins to uncover the truth about Quinlan's investigations, and the two battle for position in this brilliant film noir. Vargas is played with Charlton Heston's signature pride and dignity, as he attempts to bring Quinlan's reign of terror to an end. Susan Vargas is trapped in the middle of the conflict between the two detectives. Susan Vargas is portrayed by the lovely Janet Leigh, who is every bit as beautiful as ever in this film. She isn't given many lines, but she delivers what lines she does have with passion and energy. Akim Tamiroff plays Joe Grandi, this film's representation of Mexico's underworld. There are also some interesting cameos in this film, including Marlene Dietrich as "Tana," Zsa Zsa Gabor as a strip club owner, Mercedes McCambridge as a member of a gang, and Welles' long-time collaborator, Joseph Cotten as the coroner. This film contains enough gritty atmosphere, suspense, plot twists, and brilliant cinematography to keep you coming back over and over again for any number of reasons. It is a stunning example of everything a film noir should be; dark and mysterious, every shot tainted with a Touch of Evil!