I was fortunate enough to find Touch of Evil at a local music store that was going out of business. It’s a film I’ve wanted to add to my collection for a few months and bought it instantly. I knew there were two different cuts of the film and I wasn’t sure which one I was buying. Fortunately, the beginning of the film had text stating this was the edit based on the 58 page document Welles wrote requesting changes. The film is very entertaining with some great shots earning it the rating of Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy.
Touch of Evil is definitely one to check out!
Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) is a Mexican police officer who is cleaning up a narcotics ring in Mexico. He’s pulled into a case involving a murder just across the border in the US. He clashes with Police Captain Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) and starts to uncover police corruption. His recent wife, Susan (Janet Leigh), is used as a pawn to attempt to ruin Vargas’s career.
It’s weird seeing Heston in Brown-face. I’m not sure if this was common at the time, but given the era I imagine it may have been. He makes no attempt of an accent or anything, but plays the role as Charlton Heston with a dark tan. Vargas is called foreigner, but I think that’s the most discriminatory word thrown at the character. Yet, there is clearly some distrust between the Americans and Vargas. Fortunately, Vargas is the protagonist in the film and is painted as extremely honorable. It’s Quinlan that is horrible in almost every way. A lush police officer who does whatever it takes to make an arrest. How dark his character goes is revealed as the film moves on and Vargas catches on to the criminal ways of his fellow officer. This sets the stage for an intriguing noir story.
Touch of Evil is impressive
The opening long take of the film is also extremely impressive. The camera is on a crane moving through a border city in Mexico. We see a character plant a bomb in the trunk of a car and the camera moves to follow the vehicle as it moves towards the border. Vargas and his wife enter the frame walking along side the car. It’s not till after the car leaves Mexico that the bomb explodes. The sequence is extremely impressive cinematographically. The contrast of the film is a little rough at times, but that may be the DVD that I was able to get my hands on.
It’s definitely a film that I’m glad I was able to get my hands on. Seeing Heston in the tan make-up is a little rough given my modern sensibilities. However, if you can get past it the story that is being told is compelling. Janet Leigh is also fantastic and ends up stranded in an isolated motel…yeah, seems to be a problem she runs into. If you’re able to check the film out, I say give it a chance.
Berkreviews.com 