Touch of Evil (1958) review

I remember watching "Touch of Evil" in college in one of the film classes I took. I wasn't into black and white films but within the last month I've become more interested in these older films. My gateway was older horror films like "The Innocents" and "Carnival of Souls". Plus, I've always loved newer black and white films like "Paper Moon" and "Ed Wood".

What really impressed me about "Touch of Evil" is how influential it is. I could see elements of future films like "Psycho", "Blow Out", "Batman", "L.A. Confidential", "Chinatown" and possibly every "neo noir" film that came after this.

Every budding cinematographer needs to see this movie and not just for the famous opening uninterrupted tracking shot. I love the scene where Quinlan is strangling Grandi. It's nightmarish, creepier than anything in "Psycho" and executed perfectly - I like how there is a foreshadowing to Quinlan's actions when he's describing strangling earlier in a bar. The tense ending where Vargas is following Quinlan and Menzies is brilliant as well. All this with no shitty CGI like we have today.

The use of sound is great in this ending scene too. It's smart how the sound of the pianola prevents Menzies from recording Quinlan in the brothel and forces him to go outside. Then how the echoes of Quinlan's voice exposes Vargas's set up - the sound exposes the truth.

I love the use of shadows and darkness - there's a wonderful interplay between light and dark. There's a cool scene where a criminal is shining a flashlight into Susan's hotel room while she's dressing. It's a sinister scene especially since we never see the criminal's face. It's almost like something out of "Halloween". Before Quinlan strangles Grandi he has him turn the light in the room off. As Quinlan is stalking Grandi around the room like a monster there is flashing of neon coming from outside. As Vargas is trying to record Quinlan's conversation at the end, he is forced to hide in the shadows, like a criminal.

Orson Welles' performance is virtuosic as Quinlan. He's the ultimate flawed cop who maybe long ago was a law abiding but the world has corroded him. He relies on his intuition, which is usually correct, to solve a crime and put away the "bad guy" at whatever costs it takes including planting evidence to indict them. He's corpulent, disheveled, cynical, a drunkard, racist and bitter. I like how his character isn't just one sided - he's nostalgic about the past and his days spent at the brothel. He also took a bullet to protect his friend, who he ironically ends up killing at the end. I love how he forgets his cane at the crime scene, like Biff in "Back to the Future 2", which allows Menzies to realize Quinlan's true character.