Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
A border-town bombing draws Mexican investigator Miguel Vargas into a corruption-ridden police investigation led by crooked captain Hank Quinlan, setting off a deadly struggle over power, justice, and truth.
Touch of Evil is a towering achievement in film noir, anchored by Orson Welles's bravura direction and one of cinema's most celebrated opening shots — a continuous crane take that sets the tone for the entire film's restless, expressionistic visual style. Welles and Charlton Heston deliver commanding performances, while Marlene Dietrich's cameo is unforgettable. Cinematographer Russell Metty's deep-focus, low-angle, shadow-drenched compositions are genuinely extraordinary and push the noir aesthetic further than almost any contemporary. Novelty is high: despite working within the noir genre, Welles's execution is so singular and distinctive — the warped lenses, canted angles, claustrophobic spaces — that the film remains utterly unlike anything else. The plot, while effectively tension-laden, is somewhat labyrinthine and the Vargas/Susie subplot strains credibility. The ending, though morally resonant with Quinlan's fall, is a touch abrupt and Dietrich's famous closing line, while poetic, feels a shade pat. Still, this is one of the defining works of American cinema.