Review of Touch of Evil (1958) by Shane S — 03 Dec 2010

One of the most iconic films of all time, Orson Welles' mostly-unsung quirky noir is not only the last godly film in the oft-celebrated genre, but also the birth of what was to come in cinema. With its innovative sound editing (not so surprising, since it's directed by Orson Welles - the man who practically invented the J-cut), highly fluid photography by way of Russell Metty, and the much-celebrated sequences ranging from the highly disturbing kidnapping, the death of Uncle Joe Grande, and the iconic long take, this film would become quite possibly Welles' finest hour if not counting the much talked about "Citizen Kane" and would influences films from "The Player" to the visceral "Blue Velvet".

Not much to talk about here - it plays like a police investigation. It takes place in 24 hours and it concerns the investigation of a car bombing that soon turns into a man's quest to expose a hard-as-nails police captain (Orson Welles) for the phony he is. The cinematography is superb, the acting is nice (finally get to hear some Spanish in an American film from this time - and Heston did throw in some authenticity as Meixcan DEA agent Mike Vargas), the script is occasionally witty (some barbs to Welles' past projects, most notable the cane his character walks around with), and the direction (even with the conventional Harry Keller material) is just godly.

Watch this film now. I can't hype it enough. It kept me on my seat and it just placed itself in my top 10 films. It's too good to miss out.

Plus, a car explodes.