Rating: 
Summary: Every time I watch it I see new things
Review: There are only a few movies I can watch again and again.
Those are the ones worth owning. This is one of them.
Welles takes a routine noir movie and somehow does it
so well that you can't pull yourself away. To summarize
the plot is almost unnecessary- a crime takes place
near Tijuana-- big deal. It's what Welles makes this INTO
that is so interesting.There is no point at which it feels slow or rushed, and no
touch that is unneeded. I can't say as much for today's
"thrillers." The lighting and the casting are remarkable. He
nailed everything so prefectly. As for the DVD version- good
extras, like the VHS version a couple years ago. And yeah,
they probably could have had a little more care in their
transfer to deal with aspect ratio. For whatever reason,
the studios can't get this right more than 50% of the time.
It doesn't tarnish the film itself, though.
Rating: 
Summary: Butchered
Review: Any claim that this is the correct aspect ratio is idiotic. From the very beginning, it is obvious that the black bars are covering up the upper portion of the spinning Universal globe. That is valid proof right there. And anyone with half an eye for photography can instantly see that actors' heads are cut off, lots of interesting eye candy is gone, and the entire presentation feels claustrophobic. Orson Welles would've PUKED if he'd seen what they did to his film. BEWARE...a LOT of folks are butchering films this way, and the result is always the same: heads chopped off, close-ups with the eyes or lower part of the mouth covered up, etc. Pathetic.
Rating:
Summary: FALSE WIDESCREEN!
Review: It breaks my heart to say this but do NOT buy this dvd. If you are curious to see this great film you would be better served purchasing the VHS cassette! I stumbled on one false widescreen movie before(Reservoir Dogs vhs tape) and to my disgust found this ... DVD to be just as phoney as that one. I have visual proof because I bought the VHS tape which ispresented in standard format when it was originally released in 99. I only recently acquired a dvd player and ran out to buy this hopeing to see even more of this terrific picture and discovered, immediately in fact while the Universal globe symbol was spinning on the screen before the film, that they had literally put two black bars on top of the standard format I own on the vhs tape! I suggest complaining to Universal over this.
I do recommend this film to anyone who loves just a great movie with great performances but only, and I stress ONLY on the VHS format. Universal did an awful job with this dvd for not even including the often aired(on cable) documentary concerning this film and its restoration.
Once again WARNING! FALSE WIDESCREEN HERE! Please be aware. Universal is out to hurt Welles yet again while he spins in his grave.
Rating:
Summary: This is the original aspect ration
Review: Contrary to many reviews here, this IS the proper aspect ratio for this movie. According to IMDB, the intended ration for this movie is 1.85:1. Yes, the video tape does show more, its called "open matte." While it may show more of the video, it is showing portions that Welles never intended you to see. Another example of this is Willy Wonka. While you do see more with the open matte, you see things not intended to be seen such as the hose that fills Violet with air as she is supposed to be turning into a blueberry. This is the movie as Welles intended as far as aspect ratio is concerned. More is not always better.
Rating:
Summary: "That's the second bullet I caught for you."
Review: After a ten year exile in Europe, Orson Welles returned to Hollywood and made one of his best films. Originally only offered to act in the part of Quinlan, the studio later allowed him to direct and write to appease star Charlton Heston. Adapting a second rate novel, Welles turned a potentially Grade B film into a Grade A film. Heston plays Mexican narcotics agent Mike Vargas who must help the police investigate a car bombing in a crime-infested border town. Vargas must lock horns with corrupt cop Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) whom he believes has framed an innocent Mexican of the crime. As in most Welles films, themes of corruption and abuse of power occur throughout. Also like many Welles films, neither the villain nor the hero are as two dimensional as they first seem. Quinlan, may frame people, but he frames the GUILTY. The origin of his obsession is explained in a quite moving segment where Quinlan tells us the fate of his wife and her killer. And the moral Vargas proves that when his wife is at stake, he is not above bending the law himself. There's also a neat little twist at the end that makes us rethink everything we think we have learned before. Shot on location in moody black in white (Welles called color the actor's worst enemy), Welles effectively brings out the look and feel of a seamy border town. Henry Mancini's latin rock score is another major asset. Pay special attention to the stunning opening shot.
Rating:
Summary: Too bad, I was about to buy it
Review: It seems clear from the customer reviews below that this DVD is a disaster of "simulated" letterbox. Apparently the VHS widescreen version is all right, but then of course that's videotape. Now off to Blockbuster, where I will as usual use my magnifying glass to make sure whatever DVD I choose is not panned and scanned. Eternal vigilence, eh? Is there really anyone left renting DVDs whose TV set is too small for letterbox?
Rating: 
Summary: True widescreen? Yes.
Review: Earlier reviews complained that this DVD featured "fake" widescreen that actually cropped parts of the image seen in the video version. While I haven't compared it to the video version, I haven't noticed any framing problems. Both the box and IMDB say that the movie's orginal format was anamorphic widescreen, which makes the possibility of cropping the image unlikely.
Rating: 
Summary: Why butcher this film??????
Review: Why did the folks at Universal crop this movie into a fake "letterbox" format? The tops of actors heads are cut off in almost every scene! Why did they go through all the trouble to restore this film's original cut only to muck up the framing? I suppose some arrogant tech-guy somewhere crassly thinks people equate "letterbox" with "importance."...I cannot fathom this continued war against art. It's the audience that is cheated, and history that is robbed. STOP! We the consumers deserve better ... we pay your bills, Universal.
Rating:
Summary: A Hearbreaking Disillusionment
Review: Hey, when i go to a movie, I don't expect to be given art, and stuff like that. If i wanted art, I'd go see LA DOLCE VITA or something. I'm not gonna expect no art from no movie what's called TOUCH OF EVIL.
But there it was. A whole bunch of art. A whole bunch of acting and stuff. It was unreal. I had to keep going out and smoking cigarettes, I was so nervous. I don't like my cinematic pleasures mixed with art and ability. I prefer a certain amount of clutziness and inept performance. That's what I'm used to in my daily life. I don't need no refinements in no crook show, for Gosh sakes.
The American movie is no place for no art. Why don't they edit that stuff out. I will never drink from Welles again.
The glib improvizational stuff really irked me. They thought they were so clever, overlapping their lines like that. Huh! Well, I can't be fooled. I wasn't impressed. I liked the dancing girls though. And Janet Leigh in her underwear is HOT.
Also, I got a piece of orange fruit candy stuck to my foot. What a waste.
Rating:
Summary: An unfortunate movie
Review: This was one of the worst movies I have ever watched. The acting, directing, cinematography and script were just bad. I got the impression the actors were trying to be the worst they could be.
The video went into the waste basket as soon as it was over.
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