Touch of Evil (1958)

Directed by Orson Welles · Crime, Thriller, Drama

Starring Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Joanna Moore, Ray Collins, Dennis Weaver, Valentin de Vargas, Mort Mills, Victor Millan, Lalo Rios, Michael Sargent, Phil Harvey, Joi Lansing, Harry Shannon, Marlene Dietrich, Joseph Cotten, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Joe Basulto, Yolanda Bojorquez, Domenick Delgarde, Jennie Dias, John Dierkes, Eleanor Dorado, Eva Gabor, Jeffrey Green, Billy House, Mercedes McCambridge, Arlene McQuade, Ken Miller, Ralph Moratz, Ramón Rodríguez, Gus Schilling, William Tannen, Wayne Taylor, Rusty Wescoatt, Dan White, Keenan Wynn

IHBM5 IMDb7.9 RT96% MC99 Trakt76% TMDb7.7Average

A border-town bombing draws Mexican investigator Miguel Vargas into a corruption-ridden police investigation led by crooked captain Hank Quinlan, setting off a deadly struggle over power, justice, and truth.

My review · Reviewed 02/17/2026

I was really disappointed by this movie. Full disclosure - I am not generally one for film noir because the noir is often used as an excuse to idolize mediocre films. I very much had that feeling while watching this movie. While there is a lot to like (the three leads and the intended theme), the delivery is very meh. And once you get past the leads, there is a whole lot of really bad acting.