Touch of EvilEnforcers of the law must uphold a higher standard than those they pursue, or their authority disintegrates. Touch of Evil is a suspense film directed by Orson Welles, and depicts the clash of law enforcement ideologies between the more straight-laced Mexican Miguel "Mike" Vargas (Charlton Heston) and the cynical and sarcastic Captain Hank Quinlan (Welles), who handles the law north of the U.S.-Mexico border. After a prominent businessman is assassinated by a car bomb across the border, Vargas accompanies Quinlan in his investigation, and discovers the depths to which a "hero cop" can sink.
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Touch of Evil has a somewhat mixed history. Adapted from a novel called "Badge of Evil", the casting and production began before a director was chosen, and the story goes that it was Charlton Heston who recommended that Welles--already cast as Quinlan--also direct. After Welles presented Universal with his original cut of the film, it was re-edited and released despite his protests in the form of a fifty-eight page memo, arguing for the inclusion of crucial scenes. Year later, the original "preview" cut was made available, and in 1998, it was again re-edited based on Welles's document and made available as a "reconstructed" cut. (This essay was written after viewing the reconstructed cut.) This is a rare treatment for any film; restoration is one thing, but acknowledging several different versions throughout the decades is nigh unheard of. Why this was done, and what is it about Touch of Evil that prompted such a labor of love after Orson Welles had passed away? The answer has to do with a renewed appreciation for the genius of Orson Welles, but also the lasting appeal of the raw and energetic crime drama which has influenced filmmakers like The Coen Brothers, evidenced in their films Blood Simple and No Country for Old Men, and even Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise. Touch of Evil opens with one of the most spectacular, bravura long shots in cinema history. A bomb composed of dynamite and an egg timer is concealed in the trunk of a rich industrialist and his "striptease" girlfriend. The camera pulls back and moves over to Vargas and his wife, Susan (Janet Leigh), who are walking across the border and through the streets of the border town of Los Roblos. The tension of the scene is palpable, and the shot only breaks when the bomb finally explodes. The visual acuity of Orson Welles's prior films is felt throughout Touch of Evil. Take the scene where the terrified Susan is holed up in a cheap motel, hoping and praying that her husband will come to rescue her. A Mexican thug who has been accosting her from the start--who she calls "Poncho" (Val de Vargas)--eventually reveals himself to be the one toying with her, and he uses the office key to steal his way into her room. As the shadow of his body passes across her terrified face, a tear runs down her cheek, and she looks as if she were too terrified to scream.
The initial elements of Touch of Evil is pulp crime novel fare--two different cops investigate a killing and end up butting heads in the process. The real meat of Touch of Evil comes in the rivalry and conflicting attitudes about the law and justice between Vargas and Quinlan. Vargas is presented as neat and well-educated; he is Mexican, but speaks both English and Spanish not only fluently but without an accent. (Heston recalls that Welles did not want him to deliver an accent, so as to exemplify that Vargas was a man from high standing in Mexican society.) Vargas enjoys a reputation as a driven investigator, and has made enemies with a crime family called "the Grandis" due to incarcerating the head of their crime cartel on narcotics charges. In the drug lord's place is "Uncle Joe" Grandi (Akim Tamiroff), a sleazy yet cautious crook looking to hurt Vargas for threatening his family's business. Susan is a beautiful, young American--if a bit too polite when confronted with crooks like Grandi or Poncho--and longs for a moment alone with her newlywed husband. There is the sense that they are both struggling with coming from different nations and cultures, but their love for one another binds them on a level that is stronger than borders. Quinlan is the antithesis of Vargas; from the first scene after the explosion when he exits the car, he is presented as a gigantic man in a messy suit, with a leer in his eyes and a lazy drawl in his voice that accompanies the cigar balanced on his lower lip. Quinlan's reputation is built on his "intuition", and he has achieved great admiration among the law in America by being able to point to the crooks and magically make the case stick. Quinlan has a disdain for protocol and bureaucracy, preferring to ensure that justice is done regardless of procedure. Ultimately, the ideological difference between Vargas and Quinlan comes down to whether the ends justify the means. Quinlan--and many of his entourage--come across as racist or suspicious of Mexicans, especially educated ones who question the legitimacy of their investigative means like Vargas. (Quinlan even remarks that he "doesn't speak Mexican" when he is harshly interrogating a suspect.) Is Quinlan a dirty cop? This is a question which lingers throughout Touch of Evil, and is brought to the forefront during an incident with a shoebox that Vargas saw was previously empty, yet suddenly contains a couple of sticks of dynamite so as to incriminate a young Mexican named Sanchez (Victor Millan). Vargas' gut reaction is that Quinlan must have planted the dynamite in the shoebox, and sets on an investigation to prove his suspicions. But even Vargas admits to District Attorney Adair (Ray Collins) that he may be wrong about his suspicions, and refuses to let his "word" be sufficient to provoke an investigation. As Touch of Evil progresses, it is the rivalry and growing animosity between Vargas and Quinlan which propels the story. There is a sense of suspicion and dislike between the two men from the start, in what is implied to be a cultural prejudice between the two men, who stand in for the two different cultures and countries of the United States and Mexico. At one point, Vargas comments to Susan about how the U.S.-Mexico border is one of the longest unguarded borders in the world; there is a looming disquiet that follows that statement. After Vargas implies that he will start a case against Quinlan, Quinlan is approached by Grandi, who tries to lure him onto the path of corruption by claiming that they share mutual interests. In one of many outstanding scenes in Touch of Evil, Grandi plies the recovering alcoholic with liquor, giving Quinlan a shot of whiske. When he prepares to tell Grandi yet again that he doesn't drink, he looks down to see that half of his glass is empty. Sometimes just the touch of evil is enough to drag a man down.
Recommended for: Fans of a hard-boiled crime drama that bears the signature touch of the talented Orson Welles throughout, with its long shadows, deep focus, powerful performances, and stunning direction. It is a bleak and morally ambiguous tale about the dangers that come with arrogance and the self-righteousness to condemn others without knowing all of the facts about them.
The initial elements of Touch of Evil is pulp crime novel fare--two different cops investigate a killing and end up butting heads in the process. The real meat of Touch of Evil comes in the rivalry and conflicting attitudes about the law and justice between Vargas and Quinlan. Vargas is presented as neat and well-educated; he is Mexican, but speaks both English and Spanish not only fluently but without an accent. (Heston recalls that Welles did not want him to deliver an accent, so as to exemplify that Vargas was a man from high standing in Mexican society.) Vargas enjoys a reputation as a driven investigator, and has made enemies with a crime family called "the Grandis" due to incarcerating the head of their crime cartel on narcotics charges. In the drug lord's place is "Uncle Joe" Grandi (Akim Tamiroff), a sleazy yet cautious crook looking to hurt Vargas for threatening his family's business. Susan is a beautiful, young American--if a bit too polite when confronted with crooks like Grandi or Poncho--and longs for a moment alone with her newlywed husband. There is the sense that they are both struggling with coming from different nations and cultures, but their love for one another binds them on a level that is stronger than borders. Quinlan is the antithesis of Vargas; from the first scene after the explosion when he exits the car, he is presented as a gigantic man in a messy suit, with a leer in his eyes and a lazy drawl in his voice that accompanies the cigar balanced on his lower lip. Quinlan's reputation is built on his "intuition", and he has achieved great admiration among the law in America by being able to point to the crooks and magically make the case stick. Quinlan has a disdain for protocol and bureaucracy, preferring to ensure that justice is done regardless of procedure. Ultimately, the ideological difference between Vargas and Quinlan comes down to whether the ends justify the means. Quinlan--and many of his entourage--come across as racist or suspicious of Mexicans, especially educated ones who question the legitimacy of their investigative means like Vargas. (Quinlan even remarks that he "doesn't speak Mexican" when he is harshly interrogating a suspect.) Is Quinlan a dirty cop? This is a question which lingers throughout Touch of Evil, and is brought to the forefront during an incident with a shoebox that Vargas saw was previously empty, yet suddenly contains a couple of sticks of dynamite so as to incriminate a young Mexican named Sanchez (Victor Millan). Vargas' gut reaction is that Quinlan must have planted the dynamite in the shoebox, and sets on an investigation to prove his suspicions. But even Vargas admits to District Attorney Adair (Ray Collins) that he may be wrong about his suspicions, and refuses to let his "word" be sufficient to provoke an investigation. As Touch of Evil progresses, it is the rivalry and growing animosity between Vargas and Quinlan which propels the story. There is a sense of suspicion and dislike between the two men from the start, in what is implied to be a cultural prejudice between the two men, who stand in for the two different cultures and countries of the United States and Mexico. At one point, Vargas comments to Susan about how the U.S.-Mexico border is one of the longest unguarded borders in the world; there is a looming disquiet that follows that statement. After Vargas implies that he will start a case against Quinlan, Quinlan is approached by Grandi, who tries to lure him onto the path of corruption by claiming that they share mutual interests. In one of many outstanding scenes in Touch of Evil, Grandi plies the recovering alcoholic with liquor, giving Quinlan a shot of whiske. When he prepares to tell Grandi yet again that he doesn't drink, he looks down to see that half of his glass is empty. Sometimes just the touch of evil is enough to drag a man down.
Recommended for: Fans of a hard-boiled crime drama that bears the signature touch of the talented Orson Welles throughout, with its long shadows, deep focus, powerful performances, and stunning direction. It is a bleak and morally ambiguous tale about the dangers that come with arrogance and the self-righteousness to condemn others without knowing all of the facts about them.