Touch of Evil (1958) Film Review A

DIRECTOR Orson Welles

BOTTOM LINE: “Touch of Evil” (1958), directed by Orson Welles, is set in a corrupt U.S.–Mexico border town. It follows Mexican narcotics officer Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) as he clashes with corrupt American police captain Hank Quinlan (Welles) after a car bombing. The investigation spirals into a tale of crime, corruption, and moral decay, culminating in Quinlan’s downfall.

Yes, that is an unbilled Mercedes McCambridge as the unnamed lesbian gang leader getting her kicks while watching Janet Leigh (Mrs. Vargas) getting roughed up in her motel room. Justly famous for its miraculous opening tracking shot preceding the car explosion at the US/Mexican border (lasting over three minutes) to Marlene Dietrich’s classic final line of dialogue, this magnificent film noir is the third and final of Welles’s three masterpieces after “Citizen Kane” and “The Magnificent Ambersons. “

You’re a mess, honey

Tanya (Marlene Dietrich)

He was some kind of man……

Tanya (Marlene Dietrich)

Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Joseph Celleia, Akin Tamiroff, Ray Collins, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Marlene Dietrich round out the superb cast. Dennis Weaver plays the motel night manager, and Joseph Cotton, unbilled, plays the coroner.

Cinematography: Russell Metty

Universal-International

STREAMING: Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV

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