Touch Of Evil (50th Anniversary Edition)

I love this set,definitely worth the wait. If your a fan of classic cinema,or love Orson Welles. Get it. "You know he's pretty good."

The great underappreciated actor here is Akim Tamiroff. Next time you watch it try to picture how much less great it would be if an inferior actor had played his role. "Make 'em nice an' big!"

Simply put, Touch of Evil (as Orson Welles wrote and shot it) ranks as one of the best film noirs in Hollywood history. Touch of Evil attains this classic status through the brilliant directing of Orson Welles, a script that remains true to the spirit of film noir, and exceptional acting.

Welles' finesse behind the camera quickly sucks the reader into the seedy underbelly of a city straddling the US/Mexico border. The first three minutes or so simply set the stage for the movie by following Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh as they cruise around town. As the camera follows the car, it also shows the surrounding city and it's lively atmosphere, perfectly accompanied by music that sets the town. Simply describing this opening shot barely scrapes the surface of Welles' vision. You have to see this scene in order to truly understand that it is one of the best opening scenes in cinematic history. Although there are not as many memorable scenes after this, Welles maintains his daring directing style throughout the movie to maintain the film noir atmosphere.

Welles also writes a script that is so enveloped in film noir atmosphere that shadowy fogs issue from the TV screen. There are very few characters as memorable as Welles' Det. Quinlan, a man who has a tortured past and a continually corrupt present and future. This character alone represents the anti-hero found in most noir, making other film noir elements such as the actually mystery behind Quinlan and his illegal actions icing on the cake.

Quinlan (Welles) drives the whole movie with acting so superb that the audience almost feels bad for his character. Quite simply, as great as Welles was behind the camera, he was equally as amazing in front of the camera. If this movie ran solely off of the steam generated by Welles it would still be a classic. As it is though, Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh add more exceptional performances as the victims of Quinlan's schemes. One side note-although Charlton Heston is cast as Hispanic cop Vargas, a long shot from reality, he still gives a performance that makes you forgot this large inconsistency. Additionally, Janet Leigh plays the perfect mixture of strength and loyalty for her husband with the right amount of fear needed to bolster the suspense when Quinlan goes after her to get to Vargas. The scene where she is under siege in a hotel matches her performance in Psycho for sheer suspense.

For these reasons and many more, Touch of Evil remains one of the best film noirs that is finally allowed to shine now that Welles' original vision is restored and honored.

Fete of Death
Famous for its opening, extended tracking shot in Mexico, and rightly so, "Touch of Evil" is Welles's best film--even better than "Citizen Kane." Not many people will agree with me on that judgment. Though I recognize Welles's virtuoso technical work as director in "Citizen Kane," I find the movie dull, and, oddly, lacking in dramatic value. It plays like a carnival sideshow, with Welles the carny huckster presiding over it. I've seen it in its entirety once and have no desire to sit through the whole film again.

"Touch of Evil," on the other hand, I can watch many times over and still find it dramatically entertaining. The edgy, over-the-top performances of the actors, especially Welles and Dennis Weaver, the weird camera angles, the looming shadows, and the jazzy beatnik score all afford the film a surreal film-noir appearance.

Based on a book by crime writer Whit Masterson, "Touch of Evil" unreels like a lurid thriller, dripping with almost-campy menace. Ludicrous himself with his potbelly and bizarrely affected speech pattern, reminiscent of a parody, Welles yet projects an inimical villainy that informs the entire film. For sure, it's no comedy, but it borders on the absurd, making it that much more exciting dramatically and steeped with angst.

--Bryan Cassiday, author of "Fete of Death"

Mexican narcotics officer Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) and his bride (Janet Leigh) have just ended their honeymoon in a border town when they become involved in a murder investigation. Also on the case is a veteran American cop (Orson Wells) who has a habit of winning convictions by planting evidence.

How much you like this movie depends on how much you like the film noir genre. This is a typical hard-bitten crime story filmed mostly at night or in deep shadows in shabby locations with terse dialogue and no-nonsense characters. Heston isn't convincing as a Mexican, but he's dynamic and sincere anyway. Janet Leigh had a broken arm for most of the filming and it's fun to see the ways the cast is hidden. As a star, Wells is bloated and repellant and the villain you love to hate; as the director, he's creative and surprising. Dennis Weaver gives a terrific performance as a very nervous motel employee.

Film noir is not my cup of tea, but I can see that this is a complex and well-made movie that many film-lovers would enjoy.