Rating: 
Summary: The finest "B-movie" ever made
Review: Finally! The restored and reedited version of "Touch of Evil" will be available. I saw the rerelease in the theater twice and can't wait to have it at home. A classic mystery with seedy characters -- the perfect b-movie made by one of cinema's greatest masters. This film is also the proof that Orson Welles never lost any talent or abilities -- Hollywood simply lost out by turning him away. The opening shot is a stunner (Peter Bogdanovich once argued that "Evil" was even more technically accomplished than "Citizen Kane"). There are some great performances here -- Heston is at his finest. This is also Janet Leigh's best performance. And of course, Welles is perfect as the bloated detective Quinlan. Props also go to a well-executed performance from the underrated Akim Tamiroff. Watch for a brief cameo from Joseph Cotten. And an uncredited appearance from Marlene Dietrich. A must for Welles fans and heartily recommended to all lovers of great cinema.
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Summary: The Greatest Film Noir Ever!
Review: I wanted to buy a DVD player so I could see those films that are so seldomly seen on TV and Video (living in the Netherlands, that means lots of films). With my DVD player finally on its way, I can say that this is one of the movies I have very high on my wishlist indeed. Touch of Evil is THE classic film noir by Welles. Although critics are always eager to mention Citizen Kane as Welles' greatest film (or indeed the best film ever made), this movie is much more enjoyable. A great plot, a stunning femme fatale (Marlene Dietrich) and great performances by Welles and Heston make this one of the best movies of all time, and an instant classic. I'm also happy to see that this DVD will be using the restored print, which I managed to see in the cinema. If the transfer to DVD is as good as the restoration, it should be one of the cleanest DVD transfers ever.
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Summary: Touch of Evil, One of Welles' Many Hidden Masterpieces
Review: This is one of the greatest things that I have seen happen in a long time. Almost all of Welles movies (Citizen Kane being about the only one) had been cut down by studio heads. Magnificent Ambersons being the greatest example as it was cut down by 40 minutes and an entirely new ending was filmed. The footage was then burned. Fortunately all of the footage that was cut out of Touch of Evil was kept. And finally a few good men have decide to peace together the one of the greatest film noir pieces. The greatest part of the restoration comes at the beginning with the restored car scene. There are no credits and none of that annoying music. It is what Welles wanted it to be a true walk down the street. I believe also a documentary comes with it which is also very interesting. If you loved Kane there is no way to shun this work.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing and Essential
Review: "Touch of Evil" is Orson Welles third masterpiece, along with "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons." This is one of the pillars of film noir-- dark and lingering. The famous opening scene, an uninterrupted two minute tracking shot that bridges the US and Mexican borders, is almost enough to recommend this movie on it own. But then consider the cast of characters Welles assembled: Heston, Leigh, Dietrich, all giving masterful performances. As usual, it is Welles himself who steals the show. In Hank Quinlan, Welles creates a most memorable screen villian. Quinlan is repulsive, but Welles is not content with simple characterizations. Quinlan is also quite human, an effective anti-hero whose future is "all used up." The film twists and turns, it gets under your skin. It is is essential viewing for anyone wishing to understand film noir and the amazing talent that was Orson Welles. C
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Summary: Versions
Review: Yes, "Touch of Evil" is definately a classic. A couple of words about the aspect ratio as well as the various versions of the film that are available. TOE was originally released at 1.33:1 -- it was never filmed as a widescreen movie. There are three versions of the film floating around on video. The first was the theatrical release version that was edited without Welles' approval. It includes some sequences shot by other individuals at Universal to make the story easier to understand. This was the only version available up through the mid-80's. Around 1985, Universal attempted a restoration edit of the film that was closer to Welle's opinion. Released to art house theatres and on video, this is the commonly available version found on home video from Universal. The restoration did have its detractors -- the restoration, in addition to putting back more material intended for the film by Welles, also put in more of the material shot by the studio without Welle's permission. The third version, and probably the closest to Welles' intent, was released in 1999. In this case, original memos from Welles were used to re-edit the existing material and to eliminate the material not shot by Welles. The film also includes the fantastic opening sequence of the film without the opening titles superimposed -- the credits are seen at the end of the film. Also, the parallel stories in the film are more closely intertwined in the editing throughout the entire film. (In the original and first restoration, the plot lines are developed in a more conventional fashion.) This is the version due to be released on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Touch of Greatness
Review: Orson Welles could never make a bad movie. He only made great ones. This is one of his best and deserves to be seen more than once. It hopefully will come on DVD soon in order to observe the new cut. The filming of this film is breath taking and is a joy to the eyes and ears. Please watch it now.
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Summary: Orson Welles' best film noir, and a cult classic.
Review: True, this is a 'B' movie, shot in one week on a shoestring budget. Nevertheless it is still my favorite film noir! It is also a cult classic with a loyal following (including myself). The entire film takes place in one day, beginning with a murder on the first evening, and ending with the downfall and death of a corrupt detective (Welles) the following evening. As such, the film is very fast paced, and has a snappy rhythm to it (much like the original Henri Mancini soundtrack). I would recommend the movie for the soundtrack alone (which is available on CD by the way)! Welles (who also directed) gives a brilliant performance as a lonely and missanthropic police detective who plants evidence, and frames suspects to ensure that murderers are 'strapped to the electric chair.' His petty (but well meaning) corruption is the result of his own wife having been murdered by a man that he could never convict due to lack of evidence, and as he puts it 'that was the last killer that ever got out of my hands.' His personal life having been destroyed, he spends the rest of his carrer on a relentless mission to see that all other killers are convicted, using whatever means necessary. Movie critics often lament the fact that, as brilliant as Welles' portrayal of detective Hank Quinlan was, it might have been even better had he not split his talents between acting and directing. (Other critics also speculate that he might have downplayed the part that he was playing out of a sense of personal modesty, although this seems unlikely. This IS Orson Welles we are talking about!) The movie instead forces Quinlan into a secondary position as the villain (rather than the tragic hero--as he should have been), and centers our attention on the two-dimensional do-gooder Vargas (Charlton Heston), who pulls down the monolithic Quinlan like David bringing down Goliath. Quinlan's liberal use of justice is exposed, the local police supersleuth is shown to have clay feet, and his already miserable life is completely destroyed. In this sense the movie is a tradgedy in the true classical sense, and this is what I like most about it. There is an excellent line in the movie which foreshadows this. A drunken Quinlan pulls out some tarot cards and asks a whorehouse madam (played by Marlena Detrich) to 'read my future for me.' She looks at him with pity and answers 'you haven't got any. Your future is all used up.' Best line of the movie! The second best line of the movie is when Quinlan says to his detective sidekick 'watch out, Vargas will turn you into one of these starry eyed idealists! They're the ones making all the REAL trouble in the world. They're worse than CROOKS, you can always DO something with a CROOK.' Touch of Evil is my favorite movie of all time, and I would highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Personally, my favorite film
Review: Many consider this film to be the best B film ever, but I take that a step further and rank it as the greatest film ever. The last of the great film noir classics, A Touch of Evil is the tale of corruption finally catching up with those cops and private dicks that have been the primary staple of noir beginning with Sam Spade. For the ultimate conclusion of the noir genre, you must see A Touch of Evil. It is full of Welles's brilliance and is also well acted by actors such as Charelton Heston, Marlene Dietrich, Janet Liegh, and Welles himself. SEE THIS FILM!
Rating:
Summary: one of his greatest
Review: Touch of evil with its famous 3 minute opening shot and its haunting cinematography and great performances by welles heston leigh and cotton it stands as the greatest b movie of all time orsons masterpiece of crime and mystery.
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Summary: Will the DVD be released in this Millenium or what?
Review: Touch of Evil is whithout a doubt one of the greatest films of all-times. It is a film that is even more enjoyable the 100th viewing. It has been the inspiration for many filmmakers around the world. The influence of this film on the great French New Wave directors casts a giant shadow. It has great performances by all especially Orson Welles as the corrupt, decaying detective, who also wrote, directed, and edited the film. The other superb elements are the groundbreaking cinematography by Russell Metty, the incredible musical score by Henry Mancini, and the bizarre story and characters that are created in this film which are as unique as they are strange. All that aside, WHEN THE HELL IS THE NEWLY RECONSTRUCTED VERSION GOING TO BE RELEASED ON DVD? I HOPE IT WILL BE RELEASED IN THIS MILLENIUM? HOPEFULLY I WON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL I AM REINCARNATED TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE DVD VERSION.
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