Review of Touch of Evil (1958) by Allan C — 25 Mar 2016

Conventional wisdom is that Kane, Ambersons or Falstaff is Orson Welles' best film, but I think "Touch of Evil" deserves to be in this upper echelon of Welles' films. Welles took what would have been a standard crime film about a car bombing investigation along the US/Mexico border and elevated it to art.

Welles completely rewrote the script and infuses the story with Shakespearean touches never seen in film noir, particularly Welles own flawed and tragic larger-than-life character, the corrupt police detective Captain Hank Quinlan.

Besides the smart Shakespearean storytelling and character touches, in terms of directions, Welles essentially made a French New Wave film within the Hollywood system. Not only does "Touch of Evil" fit thematically within the French New Wave with it's social and political context of racism and government corruption along the border, but it also stylistically employs many of the techniques popularized by the new wave, from the famous opening long tracking shot to some nods to jump cuts to the use of handheld camera to an overall rock-and-roll free-wheeling type of wild style (although at the same time Welles' directions seems very precise and deliberate).

Regarded as a lesser Welles film when it was initially release, it's slowly, and deservedly, gained respect over the years. When Welles made this film, he'd been forced to make his own films outside of the Hollywood system and this was his first time back in Hollywood as a director for years.

Stories vary as to how he got the job, but the most often told one is the it was star Charlton Heston who wanted Welles for the job after he was cast as Hank Quinlan. Henry Mancini's terrific score is also worth mentioning, though his famous theme music was absent from this version because I'd watched the reconstructed version, which was re-edited according to Welles' 58 page memo to the studio after they had re-cut his film prior to it's original release.

The main thing that seemed different was the opening long shot which originally had a catchy Mancini Latin score and the title credits, but this version had no title credits and no music, which made the scene incredibly suspenseful, slowly tracking a car the audience just saw a bomb placed in.

This film is essential viewing for lovers of classic film, film noir and Welles in particular. This one is a real classic!