Overview
A gripping tale of corruption and moral ambiguity unfolds on the border between two nations.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- paranoid
- oppressive
- late night viewing
- classic noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Orson Welles's crime noir as a formally audacious and technically masterful classic whose atmosphere and visual direction outweigh uneven storytelling.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film uses black-and-white imagery, extreme angles, long moving shots, and shadowed border locations to embody corruption and suspicion.
Vargas discovers that Quinlan and Menzies plant evidence and manipulate investigations to secure convictions.
The car bomb crosses from the Mexican side to the American side, forcing Vargas and Quinlan into a conflict over legal authority.
Quinlan quickly identifies Sanchez as a suspect while secretly arranging evidence to support the accusation.
Films like Touch of Evil, and why
The Big Sleep
shares expressionistic film noir, police corruption, moral ambiguity, and a morally compromised investigator
The Night of the Hunter
shares film noir fatalism, investigative suspense, and an atmosphere of institutional corruption
The Third Man
shares borderland crime, paranoid tension, and stylized visual experimentation
Serpico
shares a morally poisoned police investigation, urban menace, and corruption-driven thriller structure
Movie Details
- Director
- Orson Welles
- Release Date
- 1958-03-30
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 7.7 / 10 (1652)
Cast
- Charlton Heston
- Janet Leigh
- Orson Welles
- Joseph Calleia
- Akim Tamiroff
- Joanna Moore
- Ray Collins
- Dennis Weaver
- Valentin de Vargas
- Mort Mills
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Touch of Evil about?
- A Mexican narcotics officer confronts a corrupt American police captain as a car-bomb investigation exposes the moral rot of a divided border.
- What is Touch of Evil like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Touch of Evil as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Touch of Evil violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Touch of Evil as moderate.
- What did critics think of Touch of Evil?
- Critics broadly regard Orson Welles's crime noir as a formally audacious and technically masterful classic whose atmosphere and visual direction outweigh uneven storytelling.
- Which films are like Touch of Evil?
- Films with a similar feel include The Big Sleep, The Night of the Hunter, The Third Man, and Serpico.
- How long is Touch of Evil?
- Touch of Evil runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Touch of Evil?
- In United States, Touch of Evil is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
