Touch of Evil
Orson Welles · 1958
Orson Welles’s 1958 *Touch of Evil*, shot by Russell Metty and scored by Henry Mancini, follows Mexican narcotics officer Miguel Vargas as he investigates a cross-border bombing amid institutional obstruction and moral decay. Though compromised by studio edits, its formal rigour, layered performances, and unsentimental treatment of power make it a cornerstone of American crime cinema.