Touch of Evil (1958) Rank 3 Reviews

filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

Charlton Heston plays a high-ranking Mexican law officer. He is on his honeymoon with Janet Leigh. On the American side of the border with Mexico, a car explodes. Heston becomes involved in the case, to the annoyance of local police celebrity Orson ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

Time Out (--)

A wonderfully offhand genesis (Welles adopting and adapting a shelved Paul Monash script for B-king Albert Zugsmith without ever reading the novel by Whit Masterson it was based on) marked this brief and unexpected return to Hollywood film-making for ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Time Out (--)

Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)

Yes, Touch of Evil has the famous 3-minute-18-second tracking shot that opens the film (borrowed beautifully by Quentin Tarantino for the execution shot in "Jackie Brown"). Yes, it has those gorgeous low camera angles and hard-edge lighting that turn ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)

Philadelphia City Paper (Cynthia Fuchs)

Brilliant and difficult. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Philadelphia City Paper (Cynthia Fuchs)

rec.arts.movies.reviews (Dragan Antulov)

Even in underachievement Welles showed the truly magnificent scope of his talent and the excellent reputation of this film is, after all, well deserved. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at rec.arts.movies.reviews (Dragan Antulov)

San Francisco Chronicle (--)

Touch of Evil is a savvy starter because Welles' astonishing cinematic invention and his persuasive presence as star are prime noir at tractions. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (--)

New York Times (Howard Thompson)

Where Mr. Welles soundly succeeds is in generating enough sinister electricity for three such yarns and in generally staging it like a wild, murky nightmare. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at New York Times (Howard Thompson)

Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)

masterpiece of bad juju ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)

DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)

...as much about moviemaking as it is about storytelling. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)

Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)

...the movie shows a simplistic conflict of good vs. evil... ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)

Internet Reviews (Steve Rhodes)

Whether TOUCH OF EVIL is a masterpiece as many have called it or just an intriguing, confusing and avant-garde B movie is the question. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Internet Reviews (Steve Rhodes)

Lawrence Russell's Film Court (Lawrence Russell)

Orson Welles plays Captain Hank Quinlan, a detective who fictionalizes his cases in order to make them fit the easy symmetry his corrupted mind requires. All his murder cases have become a replay of his own psychodrama, wherein he plays judge and ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Lawrence Russell's Film Court (Lawrence Russell)

Bright Lights Film Journal (--)

The next time you watch the beginning of Psycho, as the camera slowly moves from a distant view of the cityscape of Phoenix into a close-up of the hotel room window, consider another even more famous film opening â�� the dazzling crane and dolly shot ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Bright Lights Film Journal (--)

Fotograma.com (--)

La filmografÃa de Orson Welles tiene tÃtulos que lo convierten en un director inolvidable. Probablemente "El ciudadano" sea una de las mejores pelÃculas de toda la historia del cine. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Fotograma.com (--)

Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)

Dark, sinister and not altogether comprehensible, this is nonetheless an intriguing study of the art of filmmaking. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)

Tempi Moderni (--)

La rivista americana Premiere ha definito L'infernale Quinlan-Touch of Evil il miglior film del 1998. Rimontato secondo la volontÃ di Welles e uscito nelle sale americane l'anno scorso, il film ha incassato piÃ¹ che nel 1958, quando la Universal lo ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Tempi Moderni (--)

Yale Herald (--)

The new version, which follows the guidelines of a 58-page memo sent by Welles to Universal Studios in an effort to salvage his film, clocks in at a slightly beefier 111 minutes, but the changes only improve on the original version. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Yale Herald (--)

Tech, MIT (MIT)

In 1957, Orson Welles finished filming his last American film, a lurid and misanthropical thriller, Touch of Evil. Upon the completion of filming, Universal Studios immediately fired Welles (who was initially invited to direct only because of star ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Tech, MIT (MIT)

Cine-club de Caen (Jean-Luc Lacuve)

Dans une bourgade situÃ©e Ã la frontiÃ¨re amÃ©ricano-mexicaine, une bombe explose dans la voiture de Linnekar, un homme qui tenait la ville sous sa coupe. Il pÃ©rit dans l'attentat. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Cine-club de Caen (Jean-Luc Lacuve)

Salon.com (Charles Taylor)

Touch of Evil may be the sleaziest good movie ever made. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Salon.com (Charles Taylor)

Tim Dirks' The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)

Touch of Evil (1958) is a great American film noir crime thriller, dark mystery, and cult classic - another technical masterpiece from ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Tim Dirks' The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)

AboutFilm.com (Carlo Cavagna)

...embodies everything that is so exhilarating and maddening about Welles. Both inspired and confused, Touch of Evil is the work of a master who cannot quite give life on screen to what he imagines in his head. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at AboutFilm.com (Carlo Cavagna)

Movie Magazine International (--)

A good film noir presents a world so sordid, so slimy, so corrupt, that the audience should crave a moist towelette when it's over. As such, "Touch of Evil" more than fills the bill. At one point, a chararcter attempts to wash the blood off his hands in ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Movie Magazine International (--)

Edinburgh U Film Society (Mark Brown)

n a town straddling the Mexican border a car bomb goes off. The killing happens in US territory, and so it will be investigated by Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles, who also wrote and directed). Though his work is legendary, his personal life is in ruins - his ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Edinburgh U Film Society (Mark Brown)

rec.arts.movies.reviews (Wallace Baine)

Orson Welles gives screenwriters an example to follow: write everything -- yes, everything -- down and leave it in a prominent place where someone will find it 20 years after your death when presumably your genius will finally be recognized. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at rec.arts.movies.reviews (Wallace Baine)

World Socialist Web Site (--)

Orson Welles directed the filming of Touch of Evil, his seventh feature, in early 1957. He got the assignment from Universal Studios in part due to the urging of the film's leading actor, Charlton Heston. It was Welles's first Hollywood film in a decade, ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at World Socialist Web Site (--)

Albuquerque Alibi (Devin D. O'Leary)

In the mythology of Hollywood, one figure stood head-and-shoulders above the rest as the true demi-god of modern cinema. Orson Welles was the Hercules of movie making--a mythic figure who battled more demons, slew more dragons and inspired more awe ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Albuquerque Alibi (Devin D. O'Leary)

Expanded Cinemah (--)

Infernale Ã¨ stato il trattamento che ha subito questo capolavoro, scritto in appena 5 giorni, da uno dei piÃ¹ grandi registi della storia del cinema. Finito il montaggio, infatti, Welles partÃ¬ per il Messico per mettere mano al "Don Quixote" (che, come ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Expanded Cinemah (--)

Boxoffice Magazine (--)

This tale of the narcotics underworld along the U.S.-Mexican border packs a terrific punch that will have audiences on the edge of their seats. ...read the complete Touch of Evil movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (--)

Critic Reviews

Touch of Evil (1958) Rank 3 Reviews

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