3. Touch of Evil (1958)
Dir. Orson Welles Cast: Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Orson Welles One of the best descriptions of Touch of Evil Ive ever heard said that this film is about a nice couple from an average Hollywood film who accidentally stumble into an Orson Welles movie. Set in a border town between Mexico and America, Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston), a Mexican drug enforcement official, and his newlywed bride Susie (Janet Leigh) witness a murder by car bomb. With the murder taking place on American soil, the investigation is led by Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles), a terrifying police captain. But to say anymore would make the film sound more complicated that it is. There are several plot threads but they are weaved together brilliantly. To begin at the beginning- the opening shot of Touch of Evil is a long tracking shot. A virtuoso piece of filmmaking that lets you know start away this is going to be something special. I admit full-heartedly that Orson Welles is my favourite director, so (spoiler alert) lavish praise will follow. There is a second, less remarked upon one take scene that (according to reports) covered ten pages of script. It follows an investigation around a suspects house, and its a work of genius in how he shows the audience clues as well letting the scene develop character and plot. The character of Hank Quinlan is something like a Shakespeare villain- so big and grotesque, and yet the story ends up centred on him. The film becomes less about the murder, but about Hank Quinlans past coming back to haunt him. The sheer brilliant of the film and its set pieces overcome the most obvious flaw- Charlton Heston as a Mexican. Its a casting mistake, but fortunately doesnt mar the film too much. Some noir critics use the films of Orson Welles to define the period of noir, beginning with Citizen Kane in 1941 and ending with Touch of Evil in 1958. Regardless of the beginning of noir, Touch of Evil brings the classic noir period to a close, and what a hell of a film to go out on, ending, as noir should, with one of the grimmest closing dialogue: Key Lines: Schwartz: Is that all you have to say about him? Tanya: He was some kind of a man What does it matter what you say about people?