Touch Of Evil (1958) ★★★★☆

Power, corruption, greed, and murder all intersect in Orson Welles 1958 film noir Touch Of Evil. The third and what many consider definitive version is Welles restored Director's cut, put together after his death upon the request of his last will and testament. Touch Of Evil stars Charlton Heston in the lead as Mike Vargas, a local narcotics officer who's working a case against a rather notorious mob patriarch. He's met head on during his investigation by local police Captain Hank Quinlan who is as slovenly as he is corrupt. Played by Orson Welles in an engrossing and idiomatic performance, Welles gives himself completely over to the role of a deeply hypocritical and insecure police official. Set in a California-Mexico border town, the film's plot is set after a dynamite explosion sends two people to their deaths and their car flying into pieces scattering across the night sky. The bomb we learn was meant for Vargas himself. This is setup brilliantly by a three and a half minute opening tracking shot that culminates with a murder investigation.

Considered a classic for being ahead of it's time in lighting and cinematography, Touch Of Evil is wonderfully and expertly handled cinema done by one of the finest film directors' of our time. Welles sets the tone in a dusky, quiet town where dread is waiting to be located around each corner. There are some interesting philosophical themes at play especially in regard to the role of the police in society. Welles character represents the establishment, using the law as a function of his will to punish evil. Whereas Vargas(Heston) believes the law is there to protect the guilty and the innocent and that police work should be hard, it should be nuanced and dissected. The idealist eventually becomes the establishment, it takes consistent vigilance to serve true justice. White and black film lends itself to the cinematography and beautifully shot scenes leave the landscapes either drenched in sunlight or moonlight converging with shadow reflecting the mood and tone of the underlying narrative.

Touch Of Evil is a great film about character, cinematography, and taking you away to a specific place and time. It does this very very well and it is even more impressive when it was done and how it's narrative challenged the current, rising police state and how that is still a relevant topic today. It addressed the rights of the individual and why they are important, how power can corrupt and absolute power can corrupt absolutely. When you consider yourself the absolute law, how can you ever hope to serve justice? The one flaw that was a little glaring to me while watching the film was the performance of the night manager played by Dennis Weaver. I'm not sure what type of performance he was supposed to be given, but I found him to be absolutely irritating and annoying. To the point I didn't care what he was saying or what function he served to the plot. It's why I'm taking a star away, his performance took a little something away from what was otherwise a terrific film.