"Listen, I'm no cop now. I'm a husband! What did you do with her? Where's my wife?". These are the shouts of anger and frustration that seep out of Vargas' mouth as he frantically beats information out of thugs responsible for kidnapping his wife. This being only a miniature plot point in unraveling the mess Vargas has gotten himself into in proving the corruption and guilt of a famous American cop and a Mexican drug boss respectively. Orson Welles' film noir tutorial on how to make a cinematic masterpiece is an experience you will never forget. Shot beautifully in black and white, it vividly portrays how humans abuse their power once in possession of it and is a masterful character study. Welles' ahead-of-its-time approach to film making with his famous and stylish camera angles that paint symbolic pictures on their subjects is a wonder to look at, giving his films such realism and credibility even by today's standards, as compared to the films of the day (1958), this was one of the most realistic of all. In addition to this, Orson Welles is one of the great story tellers and this is arguably the most brilliant detective film of all time.
In what is one of the longest single cut intros ever captured on celluloid, the film begins with an assassination of an American business tycoon on the American side of the Mexican/American border. A Mexican narcotics officer named Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) and his American wife Susan (Janet Leigh) witness the bombing on the Mexican side and Vargas heads over to help with crime scene investigations. It is only a matter of time before the famous intuition based Chief of Police on the American side Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) arrives at the scene to give his 'honest' opinion.
The bomb was planted on the Mexican side, so Vargas decides to remain on the investigation. Following agreements and disagreements on jurisdiction, the cops on both sides of the border unite to investigate this horrible crime. However, on top of THIS investigation, Vargas has another problem. His involvement in the GRANDI narcotics cartel breakdown has him as an important witness in putting away the cartel's boss and therefore puts his wife in danger, as the boss's mafia, including his brother Joe Grandi attempt to threaten Vargis and scare him off the case, which could determine the boss' life or death verdict.
Following little investigation on the bombing the previous night, with Vargas' wife safely brought to a remote motel in the desert to protect her from the Grandis, Vargas captures the hard edged corruption of Hank Quinlan in a red handed framing of a bombing suspect, who Quinlan claims is the guilty one according to his never failing intuition that was famous for bringing down previous criminals. Vargas' nosy, good-cop attitude to his work threatens Quinlan and it isn't long before he teams up with Joe Grandi in a conspiracy to frame Vargis - to prevent Vargis from putting both men away. What follows is deception, murder, abuse of power and greed and a complex character study that make this poignant film 'TOUCH OF EVIL' an unforgettable classic in its genre.
Orson Welles created one of the darkest, most powerful film noirs ever assembled with 'Touch Of Evil'. Watching it, you feel like you are there the whole time with its rich Mexican atmosphere. Welles himself brings his fat hard-boiled corrupt, drunkard Police Chief Quinlan to life with such conviction that you hate him to death only 5 minutes into the film. It was the best, most effective corrupt cop portrayal I've ever seen. Charlton Heston's portrayal of a man in a dilemma in between doing his job as a good cop and being a husband was the most powerful aspect of the film. He plays a Mexican very well, and you easily forget it is Charlton Heston in the unusual role. Janet Leigh was perfect. Her beautiful and stand-strong exterior made her one hell of an actress and her performance was commanding and elegant. My favorite character however was Marlene Dietrich in her minor role as a tough mentally unbreakable prostitute 'Tanya'. Her attitude towards Quinlan, an old friend, is amusing and touching at the same time - her presence always accompanied by the film's only musical piece, rarely played throughout, that gives such a 'that's life' attitude to the film which is unforgettable. The tune will be playing in your head long after the film's conclusion. The cinematography is rough and crisp assisting the film's atmosphere impeccably. The rich black and white choice for filming is a feast for the eyes and Welles' film making techniques are modern and ahead of their time with powerful camera angles and smooth camera movements to move a complex story along.
'Touch Of Evil' is the most patient, dark and captivating film noir of them all. The powerful imagery, the superb cast, the twisted plot and the haunting musical tune rarely played come together to formulate an almost dream-like experience. Film has rarely so vividly and masterfully painted corruption quiet like it. They don't make movies like this anymore. Orson Welles, one of the most respected directors in film history, made his definitive masterpiece with this entry. A divine character study and a milestone in the darkest of genres, Film Noir.
In what is one of the longest single cut intros ever captured on celluloid, the film begins with an assassination of an American business tycoon on the American side of the Mexican/American border. A Mexican narcotics officer named Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) and his American wife Susan (Janet Leigh) witness the bombing on the Mexican side and Vargas heads over to help with crime scene investigations. It is only a matter of time before the famous intuition based Chief of Police on the American side Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) arrives at the scene to give his 'honest' opinion.
The bomb was planted on the Mexican side, so Vargas decides to remain on the investigation. Following agreements and disagreements on jurisdiction, the cops on both sides of the border unite to investigate this horrible crime. However, on top of THIS investigation, Vargas has another problem. His involvement in the GRANDI narcotics cartel breakdown has him as an important witness in putting away the cartel's boss and therefore puts his wife in danger, as the boss's mafia, including his brother Joe Grandi attempt to threaten Vargis and scare him off the case, which could determine the boss' life or death verdict.
Following little investigation on the bombing the previous night, with Vargas' wife safely brought to a remote motel in the desert to protect her from the Grandis, Vargas captures the hard edged corruption of Hank Quinlan in a red handed framing of a bombing suspect, who Quinlan claims is the guilty one according to his never failing intuition that was famous for bringing down previous criminals. Vargas' nosy, good-cop attitude to his work threatens Quinlan and it isn't long before he teams up with Joe Grandi in a conspiracy to frame Vargis - to prevent Vargis from putting both men away. What follows is deception, murder, abuse of power and greed and a complex character study that make this poignant film 'TOUCH OF EVIL' an unforgettable classic in its genre.
Orson Welles created one of the darkest, most powerful film noirs ever assembled with 'Touch Of Evil'. Watching it, you feel like you are there the whole time with its rich Mexican atmosphere. Welles himself brings his fat hard-boiled corrupt, drunkard Police Chief Quinlan to life with such conviction that you hate him to death only 5 minutes into the film. It was the best, most effective corrupt cop portrayal I've ever seen. Charlton Heston's portrayal of a man in a dilemma in between doing his job as a good cop and being a husband was the most powerful aspect of the film. He plays a Mexican very well, and you easily forget it is Charlton Heston in the unusual role. Janet Leigh was perfect. Her beautiful and stand-strong exterior made her one hell of an actress and her performance was commanding and elegant. My favorite character however was Marlene Dietrich in her minor role as a tough mentally unbreakable prostitute 'Tanya'. Her attitude towards Quinlan, an old friend, is amusing and touching at the same time - her presence always accompanied by the film's only musical piece, rarely played throughout, that gives such a 'that's life' attitude to the film which is unforgettable. The tune will be playing in your head long after the film's conclusion. The cinematography is rough and crisp assisting the film's atmosphere impeccably. The rich black and white choice for filming is a feast for the eyes and Welles' film making techniques are modern and ahead of their time with powerful camera angles and smooth camera movements to move a complex story along.
'Touch Of Evil' is the most patient, dark and captivating film noir of them all. The powerful imagery, the superb cast, the twisted plot and the haunting musical tune rarely played come together to formulate an almost dream-like experience. Film has rarely so vividly and masterfully painted corruption quiet like it. They don't make movies like this anymore. Orson Welles, one of the most respected directors in film history, made his definitive masterpiece with this entry. A divine character study and a milestone in the darkest of genres, Film Noir.