Review of Touch of Evil (1958) by Bobby B — 20 Nov 2009

Touch of Evil is undoubtedly one of the boldest films that ever was released in the 1950's. It's a disturbing and intensely stylish film noir that proves yet again that Orson Welles was a genius who was unfairly dismissed in his time. Both behind and in front of the camera, Welles absolutely demands your attention. As a director, he is wonderfully innovative. Touch of Evil is full of energetic camera work that obviously influenced directors like Sam Raimi and the Coen Brothers. As an actor, Welles is hugely entertaining. His character in Touch of Evil is terrifying and evil, but also very funny and even weirdly likeable. He's a disturbing but human villian who fascinated me every minute he was on screen.

However, I did have some issues with Touch of Evil. It's a bit incomprehensible at times, and there are a few dull moments. Also, I absolutely hated the motel manager character - he was gratingly obnoxious, thankfully he's a pretty minor character. Outside of those two complaints, I was blown away by Touch of Evil - it's gripping and intensely interesting, and is enormously groundbreaking for a 1958 film.

Also, if you liked this, I'd definitely recommend Lady from Shanghai. It's a similarly inventive Orson Welles noir, and while it's not quite as brilliant as Touch of Evil, it's still a fantastic thriller that not enough people have seen.