Touch of Evil (1958)

Stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in Mexican border town.

Director:

Orson Welles

Writers:

Orson Welles (screenplay), Whit Masterson (based on the novel "Badge Of Evil" by),

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles

Top 250 #131 | 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlton Heston	...	Mike Vargas
Janet Leigh	...	Susan Vargas
Orson Welles	...	Police Captain Hank Quinlan
Joseph Calleia	...	Police Sergeant Pete Menzies
Akim Tamiroff	...	'Uncle' Joe Grandi
Joanna Moore	...	Marcia Linnekar
Ray Collins	...	District Attorney Adair
Dennis Weaver	...	Mirador Motel Night Manager
Valentin de Vargas	...	Pancho (as Valentin De Vargas)
Mort Mills	...	Al Schwartz
Victor Millan	...	Manelo Sanchez
Lalo Rios	...	Risto
Michael Sargent	...	Pretty Boy
Phil Harvey	...	Blaine
Joi Lansing	...	Zita

Storyline

Mexican Narcotics officer Ramon Miguel 'Mike' Vargas has to interrupt his honeymoon on the Mexican-US border when an American building contractor is killed after someone places a bomb in his car. He's killed on the US side of the border but it's clear that the bomb was planted on the Mexican side. As a result, Vargas delays his return to Mexico City where he has been mounting a case against the Grandi family crime and narcotics syndicate. Police Captain Hank Quinlan is in charge on the US side and he soon has a suspect, a Mexican named Manolo Sanchez. Vargas is soon onto Quinlan and his Sergeant, Pete Menzies, when he catches them planting evidence to convict Sanchez. With his new American wife, Susie, safely tucked away in a hotel on the US side of the border - or so he thinks - he starts to review Quinlan's earlier cases. While concentrating on the corrupt policeman however, the Grandis have their own plans for Vargas and they start with his wife Susie.

---

Plot Keywords:

mexican | border | honeymoon | investigation | police | 

---

Taglines:

The Overwhelming Drama of a Strange Vengeance

---

Genres:

Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and drug content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

8 June 1958 (France)

Also Known As:

Sed de mal

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$829,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$70,725 (USA) (11 September 1998)

Gross:

$2,237,659 (USA) (1 January 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 111 min (1998 alternate) 108 min (1975 alternate) 112 min (director's cut) 106 min (DVD edition) 111 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The entire film was shot on real locations, apart from the infamous ten-minute take in the Mexican shoe store clerk's apartment, which is actually a set. The studio wanted the entire film to be shot on sets, even going so far as to build numerous locations on its lots, but Orson Welles insisted on filming in a real city, settling for Venice, California, when he couldn't get his initial choice of Tijuana.

---

Goofs

At the beginning of the famous opening long shot, at the point where the bomb is planted in the trunk of the car, the reflection of a crew member is briefly seen in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Border Cop: Uh, you folks American citizens?

---

Crazy Credits

Opening statement (restored version): In 1957, Orson Welles completed principal photography on TOUCH OF EVIL and edited the first cut. Upon screening the film, the Studio felt it could be improved, shot additional scenes and re-edited it. Welles viewed this new version and within hours wrote a passionate 58-page memo requesting editorial changes. This version represents an attempt to honor those requests and make TOUCH OF EVIL the film Orson Welles envisioned it to be. "... I close this memo with a very earnest plea that you consent to this brief visual pattern to which I gave so many long hard days of work." -- Orson Welles

---

Connections

Referenced in Gilmore Girls: Go, Bulldogs! (2006)

---

Soundtracks

"Tana's Theme"
(1958) (uncredited)
Written by Henry Mancini
Performed by United International Orchestra
Conducted by Joseph Gershenson

User Reviews

Spellbinding thriller

There are only two ways to write a review that would truly do this film justice. Either one would have to write an exceedingly long review, or a short, concise one. I choose to do the latter.

When I first saw "Touch of Evil," I was glued to the chair. When I found out it was not Welles' definitive vision, I wondered how on earth it could have been made better. And when I saw the re-released version, I wondered why the studio altered it. The stunning black-and-white images, the intricate plot, and the powerful, engaging performances took a hold of my imagination. At times, I imagined myself on the street with the characters, because the atmosphere was so thick I felt surrounded in it.

The actors all did an outstanding job, especially Leigh and Heston (who, although not thoroughly convincing as a Mexican, soared above his usual powerful, furious presence). This is Welles' picture, however, and whenever the camera catches his obese figure, you are fully aware of the man as a director and an actor. His powerful vision drives the film, from the single-cut opening sequence to the cat-and-mouse finale.

I suggest watching the 1998 restored version over the original theatrical release, but regardless of which version, "Touch of Evil" will have you stuck in your seat, questioning your views of morality until long after the last credit has rolled up the screen.