Orson Welles's last major-studio film,
“Touch of Evil”, is known as much for its back-story as for the
material itself. Welles is considered a genius today, but in the
50's, he was on the outs in Hollywood. Stubborn and temperamental,
he was considered hard to work with and, worse, a bad investment. As
revered as Welles is now, and was then among artists, none of his
movies turned a profit at the box office. After a decade in Europe,
Welles returned to Hollywood to re-write, direct, and act in this
film, based on the noir novel Badge of Evil, by
Whit Masterson. He was proud of the work,but the studio hacked it up,
cutting some scenes and getting another director to re-shoot and
re-arrange others. Welles sent them a long letter, detailing the
changes he thought should be made, but the film was released as the
studio wanted it. Years later, Welles's letter was used to re-cut the
film,making it as close as possible to his vision. I loved it when
it was released in 1998, and it's now streaming on Netflix.
Charlton Heston
plays Miguel “Mike” Vargas, a police officer in what is
essentially the Mexican DEA. He frequently works with American cops
across the border, and he has just married an American woman, Susan
(Janet Leigh). On their honeymoon, Mike and Susan witness a
car-bombing on the border. The American police detective sent to
investigate, Hank Quinlan (Welles), is a law enforcement legend. He
has a long string of solved cases, and while he is fat, decrepit, and
racist, he still has a sharp mind. Like many movie cops, he also has
a tendency to play fast and loose with the law. In “Touch of Evil,”
this isn't presented as a strength, but as the corrupt short-cut that
it is, and when Mike Vargas witnesses Quinlan planting evidence on a
suspect, he vows to expose him, giving one of the greatest lines in
movie history, “A policeman's job is only easy in a police state.”
Mike
understands the costs of corruption; his country is rife with it. He
does the best he can to see justice done, and one of his big drug
busts is coming to trial. The accused drug lord's brother, “Uncle
Joe” Grandi, has a plan to discredit Mike, using his pretty, new
wife. Desperate to avoid exposure, Quinlan joins in Grandi's plot,
crossing a line he has never crossed before.
It's a sordid,
twisted plot that doesn't always make much sense, but shot with such
style that it doesn't matter. The cinematography is so remarkable
that you could watch with the sound off, although you'd miss some
great lines from Welles and Heston, not to mention Marlene Dietrich
in a small, but pivotal role as a Mexican madame. Janet Leigh's
acting isn't impressive, but she's an alluring damsel-in-distress in
her pointy bras. Actually, the acting in general isn't what you
would call good, but it's stylish as hell.
“Touch of
Evil” is a classic, and in the end, it's about what every other
noir movie is about. You can't just be a little bit evil. Once you
dip your toes into the muck, you get dirty all over.
For
some truly great reflections on the film, check out Roger Ebert's
review.
4.5 stars out of 5
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