Evil exists everywhere. It can be inside us, it can be in our family, it can be one of our friends, and it can be any one in our society. If Evils are natural catastrophes, fear, grief, stress, then its easy to cope them, but if Evil masks his head over pure hatred, racism, vengeance, and backstabbing, it’s really hard to run free from being its target.
Orson Welles’s last directed film in Hollywood, Touch of Evil (1958) demonstrates power of Evil. It is set in 1950’s morally decayed society and corrupt Mexican-American border town. Welcome to the place of nightclubs, bars, brothels, drug racketeers, seedy streets, and stinky motels, where honesty is your enemy. It is a lurid tale of corruption played out in the sleazy border town where corrupt and honest cops from two different country locks their horn until honesty triumphant.
Story
A Mexican government narcotics investigator, Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston) is newlywed to young American woman, Susan (Janet Leigh) from Philadelphia. One evening, as they were strolling for ice-cream soda in American side of town, they witness American billionaire and Mexican dancer get killed when a time bomb explode in their car. Since car just came from Mexico, it seems like bomb was planted from Mexico, Vargas puts his honeymoon on hold and teams up with American side town’s corrupt sheriff, Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) and his Sergeant Pete Menzies (Joseph Calleia) to investigate bomb blast, leaving Susan alone at the hands of a head of Grande family, Uncle Joe (Akim Tamiroff), the Mexican drug dealers whom Vargas has been working to shut down.
As they were investigating, Vargas accuses Quinlan for planting fake evidence to frame billionaire’s daughter’s Mexican boyfriend, Sanchez. Vargas believes Quinlan been always corrupt cop and tries to collect evidences to prove by looking up past records. In the mean time, to prevent Vargas from exposing him as a criminal, Quinlan and Uncle Joe secretly team up to frame Vargas as drug addict for upcoming Grandy family’s drug trial. Some of Grande family kids terrorize and kidnaps Susan from her motel, drugs her up with marijuana, and capture her in Mexican side town’s hotel. In the same room at the motel, Quinlan strangles Uncle Joe leaving his dead body along with drugged Susan. Quinlan arrests Susan for drug possession and frames her for Uncle Joe’s murder.
In the mean time, Vargas accuses Quinlan of framing Susan for murder to Menzies. Menzies found Quinlan’s cane as evidence from the crime scene that can save Susan. Menzies agrees to wear a wire of tap recorder to get Quinlan to confess Uncle Joe’s murder. As Menzies was taking Quinlan’s confession, series of events forces gunshots that kills Menzies and Quinlan leaving Vargas no choice but resumes his happy honeymoon with Susan.
Analysis
Touch of Evil is truly film-noir – gothic atmospheric story of crime and corruption. Most of the movie takes place in the seedy town of narrow streets, bars, and nightclubs. Drug gang members and crime investigation figures move back and forth across the creepy border town through a series of spooky locations. Russel Metty’s sinister black-and-white photography, stunning camera movement, and camera placement seems way ahead at that time especially scenes like opening car explosion shot, following characters while they are crossing street in the single shots, following characters in lobby to elevator to first floor in the single shot, and climax scene where Vargas follows Quinlan and Menzies while recording confession.
Touch of Evil was truly a work of genius called Orson Welles. Many of film buffs considers him as one of the top directors of yesteryear classics like Citizen Kane, The Stranger, The Lady from Shanghai, The Third Man (NOT directed by him), and Touch of Evil. Interestingly, Orson Welles wasn’t original choice for director. But, after actor Charles Heston’s requests, studio was agreed. After he came aboard on the team, he immediately threw away script, rewrote his own adaptation of Whit Masterson’s novel “Badge of Evil”, hired his own cameramen and composer, and result is nothing but creepy, haunting drama of evil called hatred, racism and vengeance. But, Universal Studio meddled in his work prior to actual release, edited in his absence of sick. After seeing the final version in 1958, Welles wrote 58 page memo to suggest changes should be made to make movie as original intended. But, studio released confused 95-minute version, which flopped at box office. In 1998, Universal studio released 111-minute restored version with original intentions suggested in Orson Welles’s memo by removing credits from famous opening scene and inter cutting Vargas and Susan’s story to make film more thrilling, intriguing, and chronological.
Orson Wells as a vicious corrupted Quinlan is true identity of Evil himself. He is a giant, fat, drunk, thick voiced devil (Wells actually used padding to exaggerate his massive figure). He is massive bloated figure whose abuse of power has turned him into a monster. Quinlan has a perfect record as a cop, never failed in any investigation, and can do anything to secure his perfect record. He is racist and prejudiced against Mexicans and when Vargas accuses him as fraud, he vows to destroy him to prove his points. Charlton Heston as Mexican investigator Mike Vargas is perhaps more known for his roles in Ben-Hur is outstanding. Janet Leigh as newly wed Susan perhaps more known for his bathtub scene of Psycho has done a wonderful job.
Touch of evil is known for its one of the longest continuous shot in the movies. Opening shot is meticulously choreographed shot that last more than three minutes. It all starts when we see a close-up of man turning on time-bomb, a old man and young woman walking towards car, man plants bomb in the trunk of car, and camera scoops up and follows the car in aerial view passing strip of night clubs, later camera glides down to street level where another newly wed couple is strolling on street passing Mexico-US border, occasionally passing old man’s car and camera halts at the border check point where both car passengers and newly wed couple exchange conversation, and car drives on, and camera concentrates on newly wed couple kissing and boom – old man’s car explodes and shot cuts to the burning car lifting in the air. Not only this shot is longest I ever seen but equally well shot by stunning use of light and shadow of seedy town’s streets with haunting background score with occasional voiceovers from car audios, bars, and street clubs.
Conclusion
Touch of Evil is not all about solving murder mystery but it’s all about how individuals uses different kind of evil paths to prove their beliefs – deception and vengeance. But, doesn’t matter what you throw at honest person even in decaying society. If person believe in honesty, none of evils can touch that person. It’s a film-noir masterpiece.