Synopsis
When a car bomb explodes on the American side of the U.S./Mexico border, Mexican drug enforcement agent Miguel Vargas begins his investigation, along with American police captain Hank Quinlan. When Vargas begins to suspect that Quinlan and his shady partner, Menzies, are planting evidence to frame an innocent man, his investigations into their possible corruption quickly put himself and his new bride, Susie, in jeopardy.
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Cast
- Charlton HestonRamon Miguel Vargas
- Janet LeighSusan 'Susie' Vargas
- Orson WellesPolice Captain Hank Quinlan
- Joseph CalleiaPolice Sergeant Pete Menzies
- Akim Tamiroff'Uncle' Joe Grandi
- Joanna MooreMarcia Linnekar
- Ray CollinsDistrict Attorney Adair
- Dennis WeaverMirador Motel Night Manager
- Valentin de VargasPancho
- Mort MillsAl Schwartz - District Attorney's Assistant
Recommendations
- 100
Chicago Sun-Times
The film has always been a favorite of those who enjoy visual and dramatic flamboyance. - 100
The Guardian
Brilliant. - 100
Time Out
A masterclass in tension, visual panache and B-movie excess. - 100
Empire
Astonishing cinematography and brilliantly played, this certainly one of the most influential crime movies in history. - 100
CineVue
Touch of Evil proceeds with one of the most celebrated long-takes in screen history. The sequence is a marvel of technical virtuosity and staged action. From the very start, Orson Welles’s grubby and sweaty noir classic has us in its grip with a gloriously devised piece of showmanship emblematic of the director’s audaciously talented spirit. - 100
Chicago Reader
Eternal damnation to the wretch at Universal who printed the opening titles over the most brilliant establishing shot in film history—a shot that establishes not only place and main characters in its continuous movement over several city blocks, but also the film's theme (crossing boundaries), spatial metaphors, and peculiar bolero rhythm. - 100
IGN
Welles manages to wring engaging performances out of all of his actors, but what's most impressive about the film is the way in which the director makes use of every corner of the screen with deliberate precision. - 100
TV Guide Magazine
This nightmarish descent into dark entertainment has so much weirdness going on it's amazing.
