So this is my first Orson Welles experience, and one thing I can say for sure is that this man was miles ahead of his time. He was taking momentuous filmmaking steps decades forward into the art of film. Arguably this guy innovated and popularized film noir, and Touch of Evil is only one of his later film projects, so I can only imagine how crazy it must’ve been when folks in the 40s saw Citizen Kane—although I am clueless to what that film is actually like, I’m just assuming. The acting, dialogue, and interactions between characters were as well, very much influential in terms of realism being conveyed more popularly in film.
Bout to point out some issues with a classic, so pardon me, but this movie could’ve been a lot more investing if I cared about the characters or situations involved within the overarching scenario. A bundle of moments, just, kind of, played out, and that was the end of it, you know? You don’t regularly get an apt amount of downtime or relaxation to learn more about your presented characters since this film is always moving expeditiously. You can also assume that scenes have been cut out or at least seem missing, and that could obviously be due to the fact of possible “creative differences.”
Moving all of that bebop aside, Touch of Evil is a 1958 classic that defines revolutionary directorial technique—ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE DECLAMATORY CAMERA WORK—and sincerely set record-breaking bars with how masterful films can be with a singular—or doubular(?)—mastermind behind the camera. It’s obscurely uncommon—notably during its time in cinema—and I’ve got raving respect for that. So far, to my recent knowledge, Welles is an unimaginably distinct filmmaker. (Verdict: B+)
That one-take establishing sequence is my f****** everything!!! 🎥🎥🎥
Orson Welles is a true “triple-threat.” Dude can direct, act, and screenwrite like a champ. 🎬🎭📝
Can someone please edit out Dennis Weaver’s character in Touch of Evil. Obnoxious and toneally out of place, I will conduct. 😤😤😤
Burning the Celluloid 
Published by