Review of Touch of Evil (1958) by Hannah D — 21 Feb 2015
Orson Welles writes-directs-stars in this film noir that also features Janet Leigh and Charlton Heston (who plays the least convincing Mexican in cinema). Welles knows how to direct and he shows his skills from the very beginning, which features a well choreographed crane shot that sweeps through the streets for three minutes.
Welles' performance as Hank Quinlan is tremendous, and he is barely recognizable under all the makeup he is wearing. The plot requires your full attention to follow, I can't imagine seeing this in it's original truncated form, as I saw the re-edit based on Welles' notes.
A solid film noir, with solid performances (even if Heston isn't convincing as a Mexican), and some of the finest direction of the silver screen.
This review of Touch of Evil (1958) was written by Hannah D on 21 Feb 2015.
Touch of Evil has generally received very positive reviews.
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