Review of Touch of Evil (1958) by Uditha D — 28 Nov 2011

Even though most of its characterizations were inadequate, the dialogue wasn't that noteworthy, the pace was slow, the music wasn't catchy, and the ending not too thrilling, Touch of Evil is a good noir.

But Charlton Heston's unmistakable American accent couldn't hide the effective and somewhat convincing Mexican makeup. Ultimately, however, it was Orson Welles as the brutally and sadistically corrupt Hank Quinlan that really caught me.

Janet Leigh is also awesome as Vargas' wife, as are the cameos of screen legends Marlene Dietrich ("He was some kind of a man. What does it matter what you say about people?") and Zsa Zsa Gabor.

In the end, Touch of Evil does leave us with a message loud and clear, a valuable lesson in the fields of integrity, duty, honor and friendship. But I still think that all this could just as easily have been swayed over by Heston's American accent.