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esteeb.art · @esteeb.art@bridge.neodb.net

Rated Touch of Evil 9/10

The fact that the legacy of this movie mostly boils down to “The one where Charlton Heston plays a Mexican” is criminal. Tho as a disclaimer it’s ridiculous and pretty stupid that Heston plays a Mexican in this obv. But what a movie. Tense, gritty, superbly acted (at times), the camera work is light years ahead of its time.  While he couches it in a way to make it safe for consumption in the 50s, there’s some pretty intense anti-cop sentiment here. Even the idea (albeit marred by the brown face) that a Mexican man is positioned as the paragon of virtue, “one of the good ones”, is really subversive and cool. Especially when contrasted to Wells thin skinned, sociopathic racist and “most respected in the county” cop.  On the one hand, I feel like this is a story that would be well served to get the GDT’s Nightmare Alley treatment. Seeing this story unshackled from whatever constraints were placed upon it at the time would be pretty cool. But on the other there is still something about it that feels untouchable. I mean it’s Orson Wells. Either way the man just couldn’t miss. And I’m upset I waited this long to watch it.

#movie

Published 2022-10-27 00:00 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere