I knew I'd love the film as soon as I saw the first scene, a three minute take without any cuts or edits, a credit to Orson Welles's brilliant direction. The shot begins with a close up of a bomb, then zooms out a little to reveal that it is being held by a person and seamlessly tracks him as he hides it in the trunk of a car. Then the shot is magically lifted two stories into the air for an overhead shot of the car as it rounds the block, then drops back down to street level to follow the car up close. The shot just goes on and on with more complicated elements ending with a shot of Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh (introduced midway into the shot) with the car exploding off screen. I am always impressed by these types of shots because they require an incredible amount of coordination, precision and difficulty. Welles didn't have to shoot this scene like that yet took care to add in as many artistic touches as he could. Director Peter Bogdanovich famously said to his friend Welles, "I'd seen the film four or five times before I noticed the story." When Welles thought that he was being critical, Bogdanovich explained, "No, no, I mean I was looking at the direction."
Not that the story matters that much anyways; Touch of Evil is all about Welles's superb direction and the wonderfully seedy world he creates. The film, set in a Mexican-American border town that "bring[s] out the worst in a country," oozes the sleaze of film noir; the night clubs, brothels, slimy characters, story of corruption, etc. Take a look at Welles's character, the sweaty overweight policeman Hank Quinlan. I love how dark and twisted he is. He also has the funniest line of the film: "I don't speak Mexican."
The story is rather complex but rich with characters and setting. It follows the investigation of the car bombing headed by Quinlan, a veteran cop who has a renowned ability to follow up on hunches, and Heston's Mike Vargas, a Mexican cop who gets sucked into the investigation in the middle of his honeymoon. The two quickly butt heads as they have different approaches to the law. Quinlan seems to be a by any means kind of guy while Vargas is more by the books. The story shifts its tone to something far more sinister when the two go out of their ways to screw with each other.
Touch of Evil is the second Orson Welles film I've seen (the other being Citizen Kane) and I am truly impressed with his directing skills. I loved all the weird angles, intricate shots and use of shadows. I also loved how close the camera got to the action, particularly with Quinlan where you can see how sleazy he looks up close. The shots with them in the elevator feels so cramped that you can feel how tense the situation is.
It amazes me just how under-appreciated Welles was during his career. Citizen Kane caused him all sorts of grief and Touch of Evil would be his last Hollywood feature. After that it was a bunch of incomplete works and made for TV stuff. Unfortunately sometimes being hated on during your time is something that comes with greatness.
Grade: A
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