Touch of Evil

Shown: 7 December 1998

U.S.A. 1958
Directed by Orson Welles
Leading players - Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Orson Welles

Synopsis

A mobster is blown up on the US side of a border town, but by a bomb planted in Mexico. Vargas (Charlton Heston), a Mexican policeman, tries to help Quinlan (Orson Welles), his opposite number, but finds himself and his wife embroiled in Quinlan's shady dealings with a drug dealer, Uncle Joe Grandi (Akim Tamiroff) and an attempt to incriminate a young Mexican, Sanchez (Victor Milan).

When Grandi is killed and Vargas' wife (Janet Leigh) is involved, Vargas intensifies his investigation, discovering evidence of Quinlan's involvement in Grandi's death.

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The climax occurs in a frontier-style shoot-out in which Quinlan is killed and Sanchez confesses to the bombing. Tanya, a local "madam" played by Marlene Dietrich in a cameo role, gives Quinlan's epitaph: "He was some kind of a man. What does it matter what you say about people?"

Heston agreed to do the film on the understanding that Welles would direct, which was not the intention. Heston got his way and we can thank our stars that he did.

Welles opens with an unbroken three minute crane shot, culminating in an explosion. To follow that, his characterisation of the "frontier" cop, Quinlan, is also larger than life: physically repugnant and morally bankrupt, but his means are shown to be justified. However, the "modern" police methods of Vargas are ultimately triumphant and the film ends on the side of right. Before this we are given a dark, squalid and ultimately evil view of life, with all the hopelessness that this entails. In this, the film foreshadows the novels of writer James Ellroy (author of the LA quartet from which "L.A. Confidential" was taken) which have set the tone for much modern crime fiction and its filmed versions.

A glance at the credits underlines the quality of the production: in addition to Dietrich, small parts are played by Akim Tamiroff, Joseph Calleia, Mercedes McCambridge and Joseph Cotten. Cinematography is by Russell Metty and the music is composed and conducted by Henry Mancini. After "Citizen Kane", this is probably Welles' best film and a fine example of film noir.