Principal cast
Charlton Heston as Ramon Miguel Vargas, Janet Leigh as Susan 'Susie' Vargas, Orson Welles as Police Captain Hank Quinlan, Joseph Calleia as Police Sergeant Pete Menzies, and Akim Tamiroff as 'Uncle' Joe Grandi
Film 181 of 271 on the Screen Path
Touch of Evil
The strangest vengeance ever planned!
About the film
Touch of Evil at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1958 film at stop 181 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
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.
Key craft credits
Russell Metty (director of photography), Aaron Stell (editor), Virgil W. Vogel (editor), Henry Mancini (original music composer), and Orson Welles (screenplay)
- Director
- Orson Welles
- Release
- 1958-03-30
- Runtime
- 111 minutes
- Genres
- Crime, Thriller, and Drama
- Country
- United States
- Quiz
- 25 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 25 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
25 questions in this journeyWant to try a complete journey on the web? The Citizen Kane page includes the spoiler-free guide, after-film analysis, and a sample quiz.
Try Citizen Kane →Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.