Touch Of Evil
Orson Welles was truly one of the pioneer geniuses of cinema history, and while heâll always be known for Citizen Kane (hailed by many as the Greatest Movie Ever), many also have a fondness for this later work from 1958, thought by many at the time as a b-movie but really a compelling work of the descent of the human condition, punctuated by maybe Wellesâ best ACTING job as well. Even though Charlton Heston is top-billed as the hero of the piece, it is Wellesâ Captain Hank Quinlan that is really the star of the show, a âcelebrityâ cop who is said to have his hunches always be right, despite the fact that the (guilty) criminals he puts away are usually the result of planted evidence to win a conviction, as much of a commentary of a good manâs doubt of our criminal justice system as it remains relevant today, from the O.J. Simpson trial (where such tactics raised a reasonable doubt for his acquittal) to Casey Anthony (where the cops played by the rules and used common sense but ultimately it wasnât enough). When Quinlan uses such a tactic against a Mexican shoe store clerk in the bombing death of a prominent citizen, it raises the ire of fellow cop Heston, who becomes a man on a mission to discredit Quinlan for his entire career, leading to Quinlan hatching a plot to destroy Hestonâs life with a scheme that is haphazard to say the least. It should be noted that the flow and pace of the film is at times dreamlike, and certainly an influence on later filmmakers like David Lynch (such as Blue Velvet), but the era of censorship that was prevalent at the time pretty much prevented it from getting too down and dirty and gives it a slightly dated feel that modern audiences with their cultural disconnect would probably find boring. Then there is the idea of Heston playing a Mexican(!) cop who is totally honest, and while Charlton brings the presence to the role required, there is some indication of a lack of authenticity to the character. Also in the cast is Janet Leigh (a gorgeous actress who brought substance to all her roles, and will sadly be best remembered for getting stabbed in the shower) as Hestonâs wife who is targeted in the revenge plot, Marlene Dietrich (57 at the time but looking 20 years younger) as a fortune teller friend of Quinlanâs whom he enjoys hanging out with, Dennis Weaver as a nutty motel clerk, and cameos by Zsa Zsa Gabor, Mercedes McCambridge, Joseph Cotton, and Keenan Wynn. In the end, such elements as the cinematography (including the legendary opening tracking shot), the atmosphere, and the clever editing elevate this greatly, and Wellesâ Quinlan, for whom the viewer might assume is the villain but is really a man who has lost his way after the murder of his wife many years earlier, stands as one of the great, complex characters of the era, a man who sees in an idealist like Heston someone more dangerous than the criminals he deals with, and has learned to live with himself on the notion the bad people he put away were all too deserving of justice, even if he bent and broke the rules to do so. Highly recommended for the fans of the old school that inspired generations afterâŚ
8/10