Touch of Evil 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Touch of Evil 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 13, 2022

Orson Welles's "Touch of Evil" (1958) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include multiple new and archival audio commentaries; archival featurettes; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The events in the film take place in a small town right on the Mexican-American border with plenty of cheap restaurants, bars, and striptease clubs. The regulars there are mostly shady characters who like to take advantage of the occasional rich tourists that visit the area.

Mike Vargas (Charlton Heston), a Mexican drug enforcement agent, and his American wife, Susan (Janet Leigh), are casually strolling through the town. Eventually, they reach a border checkpoint. Moments after they enter the American side of the town, a car right in front of them suddenly blows up. The police immediately arrive on the scene and announce that Rudy Lanniker, the town’s richest man, and his mistress were in the car.

American detective Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) takes over the case. At the scene, he authoritatively announces that dynamite, possibly originating from Mexico, was used to kill Lanniker. Because his car came from the Mexican side of the town, Vargas becomes involved in the investigation. This seriously annoys Quinlan, who decides to make Vargas’ life as miserable as possible so that he gets frustrated and goes back to taking care of his wife.

However, the more Quinlan tries to frustrate Vargas, the more interested the Mexican agent becomes in the case. This leads to a great deal of derision and animosity between the two. In the meantime, Susan is approached by Uncle Joe Grandi (Akim Tamiroff), a man with a dark past, whose brother, a drug trafficker, has been indicted thanks to Vargas and his colleagues.

The atmosphere in this film is absolutely incredible. Right from the get-go one is drawn into the seedy border town where nothing is what it seems. Everyone in this place has something to hide and danger is definitely in the air. It is difficult to explain with simple words precisely what it is, but there is something about the visuals that immediately convince one that some really, really bad things are about to happen.

The film does have a lighter side, but the humor in it is either remarkably dry or notably cold. In fact, at times it almost feels as if the humor is meant to insult as much as it is meant to brighten up things a bit. There are a couple of scenes that also carry more than a whiff of good old-fashioned racism.

The cast is superb. Welles is incredible as the obese and grotesque detective Quinlan who simply cannot stand any competition. Heston is great as the Mexican agent who accidentally stirs the hornet’s nest. (The only problem with his characterization is that he does not sound Mexican). Leigh looks sexy, elegant, and fittingly naive. Tamiroff, the famous Russian actor who played numerous villains during the '30s, '40s and '50s is also rather remarkable as the shady Uncle Joe Grandi. There are some excellent cameos as well -- a young Dennis Weaver playing the "night man", Zsa Zsa Gabor emerging as a nightclub owner, and the legendary Marlene Dietrich, who plays Tanya, a fortuneteller and Quinlan’s former lover.

The cinematography is exquisite. Russell Metty’s (Spartacus, Flower Drum Song) contrasty lensing is truly one of the key reasons why the film has been, and still is, so influential. The shadows, lighting, camera moves and the overall composition of the visuals are quite spectacular.

Touch of Evil is also complemented by an equally influential soundtrack courtesy of multiple Oscar-winner Henry Mancini (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Victor Victoria).

Touch of Evil 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray release of Touch of Evil is a three-disc set that contains three 4K Blu-ray discs. Standard Blu-ray discs are not included. Three versions of the film are included, each on a separate 4K Blu-ray disc: Theatrical Cut, Reconstructed Cut, and Preview Cut. Each version is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

Please note that the screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray discs are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures: #1-11 are from the Theatrical Cut.
Screencaptures: #12-22 are from the Reconstructed Cut.
Screencaptures: #23-34 are from the Preview Cut.

I have two Blu-ray releases of Touch of Evil in my library. The first is this Region-B release from Eureka Entertainment. The second is this Region-Free release from Universal Pictures. The latter included the three versions of the film, in the 1.85:1 ration, that were restored in 4K. The former includes presentations of these versions in the 1.37:1 and 1.85:1 ratios, but they were not restored in 4K.

I think that it is pretty easy to declare that even in 1080p the three presentations of the film from the 4K masters look better. Simply put, after the restoration work the visuals look a lot healthier and boast a more convincing organic appearance. Therefore, the comments below will address the differences between the presentations of the three versions from the Region-Free Blu-ray release and the 4K Blu-ray release. Please keep in mind that the three 4K presentations come with new Dolby Vision/HDR grades.

I viewed the Theatrical Cut in native 4K and then sampled the other two versions. I believe I spent more time on the Reconstructed Cut than on the Preview Cut. My initial impression was that both daylight and darker/nighttime footage looked quite a bit sharper in native 4K -- not sharpened with digital tools, but boasting superior delineation. In some of the daylight footage the difference was especially easy to appreciate, but there were plenty of darker close-ups that looked really, really good as well. (Examples can be seen in screencaptures #10, 13, 28, and 29). Obviously, the inherited density fluctuations looked practically the same in 1080p and native 4K. Furthermore, a lot of highlights are handled better in native 4K, and again the difference is noticeable during daylight and darker/nighttime footage. The Dolby Vision/HDR grade appears to be expanding darker nuances too, though I have to say that the most significant improvements were during indoor footage with sufficient lighting. (Screencapture #21 demonstrates this quite well). Grain exposure is even and consistent, which is one of the key reasons why the visuals look very tight and incredibly attractive. Is grain exposure better in native 4K than in 1080p? Yes, absolutely. Fluidity is excellent, but I don't think that there is a meaningful improvement in native 4K. So, if you have a large TV set or project, you should expect to see the same type of fluidity that you have already experienced in 1080p. The overall quality of the grayscale is outstanding, with balance probably appearing a notch or two better than it is in 1080p. However, I think that the 4K restoration deserves all of the credit, not the new Dolby Vision/HDR grade. A few small blemishes are retained on all versions, but they were visible in 1080p as well. All in all, I think that the folks at Universal Pictures did a tremendous work on the 4K restoration of Touch of Evil, while the folks at Kino Lorber did an equally impressive job presenting it in its native resolution on 4K Blu-ray. (Note: The three 4K Blu-ray discs are Region-Free).

Touch of Evil 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each of the three 4K Blu-ray discs has an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) track. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for each version.

I am going to give the audio a perfect score because I think that even on the Region-Free Blu-ray clarity and stability were outstanding. I viewed the Theatrical Cut in native 4K during the day and had the volume turned up a lot, so I can categorically state that the middle and upper registers are as good as you can expect them to be. There isn't even a whiff of age-related instability, which is quite remarkable.

Touch of Evil 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC ONE: THEATRICAL CUT

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Touch of Evil. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Tim Lucas.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by writer/filmmaker F.X. Feeney in 2008. It has appeared on other home video releases of Touch of Evill.

4K BLU-RAY DISC TWO: RECONSTRUCTED CUT

• Evil Lost and Found - this archival program contains additional short comments addressing the production history of Touch of Evil -- including the various versions of the film and the famous 58-page memo Orson Welles sent to Universal Studios -- and interviews with Janet Leigh, restorer Bob O'Neil, Janet Leigh, producer of editorial changes Rick Schmidlin, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Rosenbaum, and others. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, and reconstruction producer Rick Schmidlin in 1999. It has appeared on other home video releases of Touch of Evill.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Imogen Sara Smith.

4K BLU-RAY DISC THREE: PREVIEW CUT

• Bringing Evil to Life - an informative featurette with a variety of excellent comments by Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Valentin de Vargas, Dennis Weaver, Peter Bogdanovich, cinematographer Allen Daviau, and filmmaker Robert Wise. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by James Naremore and Jonathan Rosenbaum in 2008. It has appeared on other home video releases of Touch of Evill.

Touch of Evil 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The definitive home video release of Orson Welles' Touch of Evil has arrived. The film's three versions, all expertly restored in 4K by the folks at Universal, look marvelous in their native resolution, which means that this 4K Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber will close its cycle on the home video market. If you pick it up for your collection, you will never have to upgrade again. So, even though it is only March, I have a pretty good feeling that it will end up being this year's best release. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.