Touch of Evil

One of the most repulsive characters — inside and out — of the noir cycle, the obese, alcoholic, bigoted police captain Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) in Touch of Evil has maintained an iron grip over his border town for years by lying, framing, and murdering. That is until a car bomb detonates just as Mexican narcotics agent Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) is passing through on his honeymoon with his new American wife Susan (Janet Leigh). Vargas insinuates himself into the case much to the displeasure of Quinlan, who has planted evidence to frame a young Mexican kid for the explosion. When Vargas publicly accuses Quinlan of corruption, it’s a declaration of war, and Quinlan’s counter-attack will involve the kidnapping, drugging, and humiliation of Susan. Joseph Calleia is exceptional as Quinlan’s loyal sergeant and friend, Pete Menzies, whose tolerance of the captain’s shenanigans may be reaching its limit, and Marlene Dietrich plays bar owner Tanya, whose honesty with Quinlan (“You’re a mess, honey”) belies a genuine love. (Dietrich fans should be aware in advance that her role is essentially an extended cameo and her screen time is minimal.) Famous for its three-and-a-half-minute, opening crane shot filmed in one continuous take and with almost no dialogue, the entire film is a showcase of Wellesian brilliance not just in acting and directing but in writing (it’s his screenplay) and cinematography, all despite his forced removal from post-production by the studio, who also demanded re-shoots. Similar to his earlier works, especially The Lady in Shanghai (1947), the film has a cinéma vérité flavor at times with constant movement, overlapping conversations, and expository dialogue taking place off screen. The visual palette is dark (daylight barely exists) and frenetic with Dutch angles, crane shots, deep focus, low angles, and flashing lights, sometimes all at once and accompanied by pounding, diegetic music from across the hall or outside the window; note the hotel room murder sequence with its chaotic editing and screaming brass, the sensory overload reaching a climax when Susan awakens to a fresh corpse. Blink and you’ll miss cameo appearances from the likes of Joseph Cotten, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Mercedes McCambridge.