Touch of Evil (1958)

A stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in a Mexican border town.

Director:

Orson Welles

Writers:

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

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Orson Welles, Janet Leigh

Top Rated Movies #230 | 6 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.

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Plot Keywords:

investigation | honeymoon | murder | los robles | fortune teller | 

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Taglines:

The Overwhelming Drama of a Strange Vengeance

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and drug content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

February 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Badge of Evil

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$829,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$70,725, 13 September 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,237,659, 3 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) 111 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Zsa Zsa Gabor was producer Albert Zugsmith's girlfriend at the time.

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Goofs

When Menzies tells Vargas that his wife is charged with murder, Vargas says, "Murder?" His lips don't move.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Customs Officer: Uh, you folks American citizens?

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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

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Connections

Featured in Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)

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Soundtracks

Susan
Written by Henry Mancini
Performed by United International Orchestra

User Reviews

The B-films would never be the same.

Orson Welles made this film over 15 years after "Citizen Kane", but even though it doesn't reach the level of "Kane", he never lost his genius touch. With a basic story and regular budget he made the most famous B-film ever. His majesty in the camera control and the editing jump out of the screen. His director geniality is seen through the outstanding performances by great actors like himself, Janet Leigh and Marlene Dietricht, and actors not that great, like Charlton Heston. Several lines of this motion picture are amongst the greatest of all times, specially the Dietrich ones. The credits scene, that runs uncut for about 3 minutes, is one of the greatest moments in the film history, along with the pianola tune at Tanya's place. Some might say that "Touch of Evil" is banal and boring, but these are the people that don't like real motion pictures, and we all know that, so we don't care about them.