History Film / TouchOfEvil

* {{Fanservice}}: Janet Leigh laying on her bed (both when talking to Vargas over the phone and later, when sleeping). In a figure-hugging teddy, sans skirt. [[ShesGotLegs With her long and beautiful legs featured prominently.]]

* SchiffOneLiner: The epitaph of Hank Quinlan, and final line of the film: "He was a great detective, but a lousy cop."

* BlackAndGrayMorality: As much as Quinlan would like to claim that it's BlackAndWhiteMorality (with him as the "white") or GrayAndGrayMorality, in the end it's a struggle between a man who is forced to become more morally gray to fight back against an opponent willing to frame him for crimes and even try to kill him (Vargas) and a man who has long since sold his soul for the sake of dispensing quick justice to anybody he deems a criminal without any kind of due process and now is trying to destroy a good man simply because he's pissing him off (Quinlan).

* GreyAndGrayMorality: Quinlan only frames criminals he thinks are guilty, and Vargas is only able to stop him when Menzies -- whom Quinlan had previously ''taken a bullet'' for, causing his limp -- agrees to betray him. Vargas for his part sees the grayness of policework:
--> '''Vargas''': A policeman's job is only easy in a PoliceState.

** The plot of the film which starts with a bombing that brings several key players together but eventually becomes the subplot to the larger background laid bare the strategies and subtext of noir movies. In a traditional noir, police investigation into crime often had a subtext laid on that the cops were not as honorable as they seemed on the surface; in Welles' film, the actual unconnected crime becomes a blatant ExcusePlot by law-enforcement organizations on both sides of the border to exercise their political and personal wills and prejudices, which have absolutely ''nothing'' to do with the original crime.

** Many of the characters are themselves parodies of older films. Suzy Vargas mocks Grandi for being a Film/LittleCaesar, and he and his outfits are essentially gangster movie cliches. Suzy's ordeal in the film, where she goes from idealistic newly bird wife to almost being StuffedIntoTheFridge to give the hero trauma, and eventually framed [[spoiler:as a floozy and murder suspect]], is a commentary on the female lead/love interest/femme fatale archetype actresses often played in these movies.

** Subverted with Quinlan's effort to get the Mexican drug gang to kidnap an innocent Susie Vargas, then kill the gang leader and frame the drugged Susie for that murder.

* NotSoAboveItAll: In the end, [[spoiler:Vargas]] must resort to [[spoiler:tape a conversation between a drunk Quinlan and Peter Menzies]], when the latter agrees that his old friend has gone too far and decides to help [[spoiler:Vargas get his evidence]]. [[spoiler:Hank]] ultimately sees through it, though.

* CreepyCrossdresser: Mercedes [=McCambridge=] appears as an androgynous-looking gang member abducting Susie Vargas. Her big line? "I like to watch."

* NeverBareheaded: Quinlan's hat never comes off, not even as he strangles [[spoiler: Grandi]] to death or as he [[spoiler: falls dead into the murky waters of the stagnant river.]]
** Subverted with 'Uncle' Joe Grandi, who seems to lose his rug pretty often.

* TheAlcoholic: Quinlan doesn't drink often, but when he does he gets absolutely ''plastered''.

* EpicTrackingShot: The opening consists of one long tracking shot, which is considered by film aficionados to be one of the best ever.

* GambitPileup: Between Vargas and Border police, Quinlan on the other side, Mexican gangsters and their greasers, and the original bombing criminals.

* ReCut: A "Reconstruction" of ''Touch of Evil'' based on a contemporary Welles memo of how he wanted to salvage the film after seeing the first Preview and the release cut. The main intent for Welles was to preserve the plot structure of several parallel stories intercut together. The producers recut it to make it more "accessible" but ended up, as per researchers, being more confusing than Welles' version.

Welles plays Captain [[DirtyCop Hank Quinlan]], a fat, ugly, and sad corrupt police officer. The black-and-white film also features Creator/CharltonHeston as [[KnightInSourArmor Mike Vargas]], a Mexican narcotics agent on his honeymoon; Janet Leigh as his bride, Susie; and Marlene Dietrich as Tanya, a cigar-smoking Mexican gypsy brothel owner with huge beautiful eyes.

-->''"He was some kind of man. What does it matter what you say about people?"''

--> '''Tana''': He was some kind of man. What does it matter what you say about people?

* CaliforniaDoubling: Sorta. While it depicts life on the California/Mexico border, most scenes were filmed in Venice, California, about 140 miles away.

-> '''Tana''': He was some kind of man. What does it matter what you say about people?

Welles plays Captain [[DirtyCop Hank Quinlan]], a fat, ugly and sad corrupt police officer. The black-and-white film also features Creator/CharltonHeston as [[KnightInSourArmor Mike Vargas]], a Mexican narcotics agent on his honeymoon; Janet Leigh as his bride, Susie; and Marlene Dietrich as Tanya, a cigar-smoking Mexican gypsy brothel owner with huge beautiful eyes.

The film begins with an exploding car killing a powerful businessman, witnessed by Vargas and Susie on the Mexican border. Claiming joint jurisdiction (as the bomb may have been placed in Mexico), he works his way into the investigation headed by Quinlan. Quinlan quickly sets his beady eyes on a lowly Mexican employee that had a grudge with that businessman (the employee wanted to marry the businessman's white daughter). When Vargas notices that some of the evidence found by Quinlan's loyal partner Menzies was clearly planted (but can't prove it), Vargas starts questioning Quinlan's case history. But while this is all happening, Susie Vargas is left all alone at a creepy hotel where some gang members that Vargas is after is holed up as well and Quinlan starts making a few calls to the gang's boss about what to do with that lonely newlywed.

The film is an unlikely collaboration between producer Albert Zugsmith (former media lawyer and producer of B-movies and Rock Hudson melodramas) and Orson Welles. There are two versions on how the film got made. In version one, Creator/CharltonHeston was cast in the film but on learning that Welles was also cast, he insisted that he direct the film. The other story is that Orson Welles had appeared for one of Zugsmith's films and asked Welles to choose one of the properties he had. Welles chose the less promising one (the pulp novel ''Badge of Evil''), reasoning that the weak material would allow him more creative freedom, less risk and that a success would make it easier to make his long-term projects. It didn't work out as planned though. The film suffered from ExecutiveMeddling, was re-edited and some of the scenes were shot by other directors. It was then dumped poorly and failed at the box-office. It would be Welles' final Hollywood film. There are three versions of the film. The original theatrical cut, an earlier preview version with more Welles footage discovered in the vaults from 1976. In 1998, producer Rick Schmidlin, worked with Walter Murch and critic Jonathan Rosenbaum to create a Reconstruction based on a memo written by Welles. Recent DVD-BR releases features all three versions but since the 90s, the Reconstruction is regarded as the film closest to Welles' vision.

* CaliforniaDoubling: Sorta. While it depicts life on the California/Mexico border, most scenes were filmed in Venice, California about 140 miles away.

* CreepyCrossdresser: [=McCambridge=] appears as an androgynous-looking gang member abducting Susie Vargas. Her big line? "I like to watch."

** The plot of the film which starts with a bombing that brings several key players together but eventually becomes the subplot to the larger background laid bear the strategies and subtext of noir movies. In a traditional noir, police investigation into crime often had a subtext laid on that the cops were not as guilded as the plot seemed, in Welles' film, the actual unconnected crime becomes an ExcusePlot by law-enforcement organizations on both sides of the law to exercise their political and personal wills and prejudices, which has absolutely nothing to do with the original crime.

* DodgyToupee: Grandi have a tendency to lose his "rug" and then taking several attempts at making it sit right again.

--> '''Vargas''': ''"A policeman's job is only easy in a PoliceState."''

* HalfwayPlotSwitch: More like three-quarters. But while it starts out as if the film is about Vargas being a crusading lawman, the finale

-->'''Gang Leader''': We've scattered more reefer stubs around.
-->'''Grandi''': You kids didn't use none of that stuff yourself, anh?
-->'''Ginnie''': Think we're crazy?
-->'''Grandi''': Nobody in the Grandi family gets hooked, understand? That's the rule.

* KnightTemplar: Quinlan firmly believes he's the law and can't do wrong, so when he frames criminals who he can't convict with available evidence, he's not doing anything wrong by planting evidence. When Vargas starts investigating his activities, Quinlan believes he is perfectly justified to abduct, terrorize and frame his wife to smear his reputation, because [[TautologicalTemplar obviously he knows best]].

** It must be noted that there are no Mexicans in the cast. Grandi is played by an Armenian actor Akim Tamiroff and the Gypsy Fortune teller played by Creator/MarleneDietrich who doesn't even hide her famous German accent. The film is set in a border area between America and Mexico and actually shot around Venice Beach, Los Angeles with very distinct, identifiable architecture. It's not a realistic film by any means. In any case, the idea of actors affecting accents for their part wasn't all that common among Golden Age actors like Charlton Heston or Welles, who weren't into the later dominant style of MethodActing.

* YourDaysAreNumbered: When Quinlan visits his friend Tana the fortune teller. He asks her to see his future. Tana warns him "You haven't got any... Your future is all used up."

The film begins with an exploding car killing a powerful businessman, witnessed by newly-married Vargas and Susie on the Mexican border. Claiming joint jurisdiction (as the bomb may have been placed in Mexico), he works his way into the investigation headed by Quinlan. Quinlan quickly sets his beady eyes on a lowly Mexican employee that had a grudge with that businessman (the employee wanted to marry the businessman's white daughter). When Vargas notices that some of the evidence found by Quinlan's loyal partner Menzies was clearly planted (but can't prove it), Vargas starts questioning Quinlan's case history. But while this is all happening, Susie Vargas is left all alone at a creepy hotel where some gang members that Vargas is after is holed up as well and Quinlan starts making a few calls to the gang's boss about what to do with that lonely newlywed.

The film begins with an exploding car killing a powerful businessman, witnessed by newlyweds Vargas and Susie on the Mexican border. Claiming joint jurisdiction (as the bomb may have been placed in Mexico), he works his way into the investigation headed by Quinlan. Quinlan quickly sets his beady eyes on a lowly Mexican employee that had a grudge with that businessman (the employee wanted to marry the businessman's white daughter). When Vargas notices that some of the evidence found by Quinlan's loyal partner Menzies was clearly planted (but can't prove it), Vargas starts questioning Quinlan's case history. But while this is all happening, Susie Vargas is left all alone at a creepy hotel where some gang members that Vargas is after is holed up as well and Quinlan starts making a few calls to the gang's boss about what to do with that lonely newlywed.

Welles plays Captain [[DirtyCop Hank Quinlan]], a fat, ugly and sad corrupt police officer. The black-and-white film also features Creator/CharltonHeston as [[KnightInSourArmor Mike Vargas]], a Mexican narcotics agent on his honeymoon; Janet Leigh as his bride, Susan; and Marlene Dietrich as Tanya, a cigar-smoking Mexican gypsy brothel owner with huge beautiful eyes.

The film begins with an exploding car killing a powerful businessman, witnessed by Vargas and his new wife Susie on the Mexican border. Claiming joint jurisdiction (as the bomb may have been placed in Mexico), he works his way into the investigation headed by Quinlan. Quinlan quickly sets his beady eyes on a lowly Mexican employee that had a grudge with that businessman (the employee wanted to marry the businessman's white daughter). When Vargas notices that some of the evidence found by Quinlan's loyal partner Menzies was clearly planted (but can't prove it), Vargas starts questioning Quinlan's case history. But while this is all happening, Susie Vargas is left all alone at a creepy hotel where some gang members that Vargas is after is holed up as well and Quinlan starts making a few calls to the gang's boss about what to do with that lonely newlywed.

Welles plays Captain [[DirtyCop Hank Quinlan]], a fat, ugly and sad corrupt police officer. The black-and-white film also features Creator/CharltonHeston as [[KnightInSourArmor Mike Vargas]], a Mexican narcotics agent on his honeymoon, Janet Leigh as his bride, and Marlene Dietrich as Tanya, a cigar-smoking Mexican gypsy brothel owner with huge beautiful eyes.

[[quoteright:275:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/movieposterTouchOfEvil-275W_3406.jpg]]

* DodgyToupee: Grandi have a tendency to loose his "rug" and then taking several attempts at making it sit right again.