Review of Force of Evil (1950) by Kenr — 04 Aug 2019

Force of Evil – Places Wise Men Would Not Tread When it comes to shamefully overlooked film Noir it doesn’t get much better than this classic. PulitzerForce of Evil – Places Wise Men Would Not Tread When it comes to shamefully overlooked film Noir it doesn’t get much better than this classic. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Ira Wolfert also helped adapt his book for this stylish 1948 screen production. Black banned director Abraham Polonsky (Odds Against Tomorrow ’59) pulls out all stops working closely with Wolfert to bring his stories powerful elements and moods starkly to the screen with stylistic professionalism. Prolific Master director of photography George Barnes fills every scene with strikingly lit, superior visuals, and the strong professional cast gives powerhouse performances to hammer home the impact that greed and immorality offer to all those insidiously infected. Fast-paced, with no time wasted padding out unimportant scenes or characters, this is solid storytelling all the way through to its forceful finale. (there are suggestions that another 10 mins may have been edited to qualify for a double bill release? – if so, would be marvellous to see these scenes).

For stage actress Beatrice Pearson this is one, of only two film roles in her career. Always impressive Thomas Gomez (Key Largo ’48) excels as the dedicated brother, attempting to bring a little more decency to John Garfield’s corrupt lawyer. With art direction by soon-to-be director Robert Day – combined with various striking locations (the George Washington Bridge finale is exceptional) and a dramatic music score by David Raksin, this makes for an impressive, well above average viewing experience for the dedicated Noir devote. Forget the Marxist rants of some others; this is a multi-layered morality play of crime, greed and brother against brother for all the wrong reasons. It’s quite unforgettable of its time. Note: The Republic DVD release has an excellent image from an original source but the soundtrack lacks some quality. The later Olive DVD release offers excellent images and much-improved sound quality.