Touch of Evil Analysis

Touch of Evil (1958)

Screenplay, Direction and Starring: Orson Welles

Spoilers ahead, it's a film noir.

This film is relevant till date, both in style and substance. It's about a bunch of cops, investigating a murder through a bomb blast in a car. It has a racial angle to it as well, which is what holds the relevance. Hank Quinlan played by Orson Welles is one hell of a character, he is racist, he seeks vigilante justice, he plants evidences and frames suspects because "he knew that they were guilty", and he is unapologetic and even proud about it. The mere outlook of Hank adds a layer to the character, especially his eyes and the way he looks. In a fight with Varga, he suggests a vote out and he wins - the idea of him winning through majority depicts the plight of minorities, you are always voted out, even if you don't deserve to.

The cinematography is so good, I was surprised by the long shot in the opening, I didn't see such long shots in the 50s and that too in the outdoors with such amounts of extras and camera movement - it was phenomenal, and here the long shot is in sync with the storytelling too, the shot cuts exactly at the inciting incident - the bomb blast. The technique of the lighting getting dim - on and off, especially when it's Hank - it conveys a sense of ambiguity, and it acts as a foreshadowing. Hank being a weird guy, to an outright murderer - it happens so effortlessly, we are never shocked or surprised by his actions - this is an indication of consistency and coherence in character, and that in a morally ambiguous character is everything.