Touch of Evil Review- By Michael Carlisle

 Title: Touch of Evil
Year: 1958
Director: Orson Welles
Country: US
Language: English

Orson Welles was a great actor, and an even better Director, it's just too bad that Hollywood never saw anything in him. They certainly gave him a chance, for 1941's Citizen Kane RKO allowed him unprecedented creative rights. Nowadays it's known as the greatest film of all time, but back then it brought the studio to the brink of disaster at the hands of William Randolph Hearst. When Welles made Touch of Evil the suits constantly undermined him and scrambled his vision, it failed at the box office because of that. In 1998 a Director's cut from Orson Welles' own notes was created, this version is the one beloved worldwide.

 Mexican Narcotics officer Ramon Miguel 'Mike' Vargas (Charlton Heston) has to interrupt his honeymoon on the Mexican-US border when an American building contractor is killed after someone places a bomb in his car. Police Captain Hank Quinlan is in charge on the US side of the border during this event. Their methods of finding the bomber conflict, as Quinlin (Orson Welles) as a corrupt policeman.

Touch of Evil begins with one of the most famous shots ever made, following a car with a bomb in its trunk for three minutes and 20 seconds. Welles and his cinematographer, Russell Metty perfectly capture an uncertain, suspenseful and at times terrifying atmosphere.The photography traps both officers in the same shots, linking their destinies. It is quite Shakespearean. The picture is a series of intricate cuts and loops, it is never straightforward, although no film about crime should be.

Actor Charlton Heston once claimed that his worst acting decision was not giving his Touch of Evil character a Mexican accent, as the character had lived in Mexico all his life. I quite disagree, infact he played Vargas quite well without an accent, it made it easier for the audience to identify with him. An accent would seem inauthentic and just a little bit racist. Orson Welles plays Quinlin as a mythical movie monster, with a side of Macbeth. He is rotten to the core, and yet at times you pity him. Played by an already hefty Welles layered in extra padding, the character is so scary because he represents man without reason.

In conclusion, if you have not seen Touch of Evil then you may have seen parts of it in other works. For decades filmmakers have paid homage to this great work of art, and it's not hard to see why. I am thankful Heston was strong willed enough to convince the Universal execs to hire Welles. This is among the greatest films ever made. Praise it! 5/5