Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Touch of Evil 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 22, 2023

Orson Welles's "Touch of Evil" (1958) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with critic Kin Newman; exclusive new program with critic Tim Robey; several archival audio commentaries; archival documentary on the making of the film; vintage trailer; and more. 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 

Eureka Entertainment's release of Touch of Evil is a two-disc set that contains two 4K Blu-ray discs. Standard Blu-ray discs are not included. Three versions of the film are included: Reconstructed Cut, Theatrical Version, 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: #1-9 are from the Reconstructed Cut.
Screencaptures: #11-19 are from the Theatrical Version.
Screencaptures: #21-27 are from the Preview Cut.

The three versions of the film can be viewed in native 4K with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed the Reconstructed Cut in its entirety and then tested various areas of the other two versions.

If you have seen our review of Kino Lorber's three-disc 4K Blu-ray release of Touch of Evil, you already know that I like how the film looks in native 4K a lot. (I liked the 4K presentation so much that this release appeared on my Top Ten list at the end of 2022). I do not have any new comments to add here because on this release the film every bit as impressive. I still have Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray release from 2011 as well, but did not feel the need to perform any new comparisons because the 4K presentation provides numerous upgrades, some big and some small, that ultimately give the film a much more convincing organic appearance. Darker areas, in particular, reveal better ranges of shadow nuances, so in addition to the improved delineation the dynamic range of the visuals becomes stronger. As a result, depth and clarity benefit, too. If you have a very large screen, you will notice and appreciate the superior fluidity of the visuals. While quite strong, the 1080p presentation produces visuals that occasionally feel a tad shaky, even brittle, while in native 4K you will see all-around solid and naturally moving visuals. There are no large distracting surface imperfections.

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

Each of the three versions of the film can be seen with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for each version.

When Touch of Evil was restored in 4K at Universal, the audio was fully remastered as well. I think that it is very easy to tell because there are absolutely no traces of age-related anomalies on it. Clarity, sharpness, and stability are very good. In my opinion, the dynamic intensity is as good as it can be, too.

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

4K BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Commentary One - an audio commentary with Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, and Rick Schmidlin recorded in 1999. This audio commentary can be found on the Reconstructed Cut of the film. It also appeared on Eureka Entertainment's original Blu-ray release of Touch of Evil.

• Commentary Two - an audio commentary by Rick Schmidlin recorded in 2008. This audio commentary can be found on the Reconstructed Cut of the film. It also appeared on Eureka Entertainment's original Blu-ray release of Touch of Evil.

• Matthew Sweet on Touch of Evil - in this exclusive new program, critic Matthew Sweet discusses Touch of Evil and its unique qualities. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Tim Robey on Touch of Evil - in this exclusive new program, critic Tim Robey discusses Touch of Evil, Orson Welles character transformation in it, and the film's stylistic personality. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Kim Newman on Touch of Evil - in this exclusive new program, critic Kim discusses Touch of Evil and the period in which the film emerged from. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Bringing Evil to Life - an archival 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).

• 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).

• Original Theatrical Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Touch of Evil. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

4K BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Commentary One - an audio commentary by F.X. Feeney recorded in 2008. This audio commentary can be found on the Theatrical Version. It also appeared on Eureka Entertainment's original Blu-ray release of Touch of Evil.

• Commentary Two - an audio commentary by James Naremore and Jonathan Rosenbaum recorded in 2008. This audio commentary can be found on the Preview Version. It also appeared on Eureka Entertainment's original Blu-ray release of Touch of Evil.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Book - a 100-page book featuring writings by Orson Welles, François Truffaut, André Bazin, and Terry Comito; interview excerpts with Welles; a timeline of the film's history; two new essays by critic Richard Combs; and rare stills and imagery, as well as technical credits.

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

The folks at Universal did a tremendous job restoring in 4K the three versions of Orson Welles' classic film noir Touch of Evil. All three versions look fantastic on 4K Blu-ray as well. Naturally, this lavish release from Eureka Entertainment is very, very easy to recommended. I think that you should consider picking it up now because it comes with a very nice 100-page book, which at some point in the future will almost certainly be discontinued when the release is repressed. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.