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TOUCH OF EVIL
Directed by Orson Welles
About half-way through Touch of Evil I almost gave up following the plot. This is not because the plot is too hard to follow. Nor is it beacuse the plot is not interesting. No, the plot is as riviting and intense as the greatest noirs, such as Double Indemnity and The Third Man. They why did I almost give up following the plot? I wanted to concentrate only on the visuals. This film’s visuals are so beautiful, so perfect, that they alone are reason enough to view this film. Take out the plot, acting, etc., and the visuals are enough to make this film great.
The film begins with a tracking shot that lasts over three minutes. In this shot we see an anonymous hand put a time-bomb in the trunk of a car, and a man and a woman drive across the Mexican border, into America. We also see Mike (Charlon Heston) and Susie (Janet Leigh) Vargas, a newlywed couple, crossing the border. Mike is a Mexican detective who is currently trying to put away the Grandis family, a family of drug dealers. After the bomb explodes, it is investigated by Mr. Vargas, and also by a brutish American officer, Captain Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles), who walks with a cane because of a bullet he took, which was meant for another man. Quinlan uses methods of investigation which are, to put it mildly, questionable. Vargas tries to expose Captain Hank, while the Mexican gang is trying to stop him from putting away their family. This all leads up to a powerful and exciting climax.
As said before, the visuals in the film are amazing. From the opening tracking shot, which has now made it’s place as one of the most famous opening shots in film history, to the masterful crane shots, to the scenes in small rooms, where the camera always seemed to be pointing upwards at the actors, the the great use of lighting, the cinematography in Touch of Evil is flawless. It is one of the most beautifully shot films I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
The acting is uniformly excellent. Welles is magnificent as the big, hobbling brute that is Captian Hank Quinlan. Charlton Heston is grand as the Mexican detective, and Janet Leigh is remarkable as his American wife.
One of, if not the greatest noir that I have seen, Touch of Evil is not only a classic, but a masterpiece, and truely one of the greatest films I have ever seen.
My Rating: Masterpiece
Review by Jared Mills
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