Touch of Evil (1958)

Location: Home
Seen Before: No
Rating: 4.0

In discussing Touch of Evil, my Film Noir teacher said he always appreciates Welles' films because of their technical achievements, but fails to be completely drawn in by the characters and therefore the films never fully work for him. Perhaps needless to say, I scoffed at this notion. Welles wasn't capable of making that mistake, was he?

I have to tread against my principles here--shamefully, or course--and say that I have to agree with Fred on this one. Maybe I was just expecting too much from the infamous final classic noir, but I always felt pretty distanced from Vargas and Quinlin. There is no doubt that Quinlin especially is a really fascinating character, but I feel like I wanted to know more about him; why is he so evil and crooked? Hints are certainly dropped along the way, but that didn't completely cut it for me. Similarly, the Vargas backstory of him putting away drug dealers (?) and their boys coming back to get him wasn't explained enough for me. As much as I love Orson both in front of and behind the camera, his performance as Quinlin doesn't always work for me (all of the mumbling).

That being said, however, this film must be one of the most visually stunning ever produced. Welles uses angles and lenses and editing techniques that are not only far before their time, but are wildly experimental. It's so much fun for the eyes that it requires continuous study.