Touch of Evil (1958)

Touch of Evil poster

Touch of Evil (1958)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Center
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Low
Race Swap: Yes

Viewer Rating
8.8

Overview

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.


Starring Cast


Where to watch

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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Center

Primary

The film's central conflict critiques police corruption, abuse of power, and xenophobia, portraying a Mexican prosecutor as the moral compass against a corrupt American authority figure. This focus on systemic failings and prejudice aligns with left-leaning concerns, despite its exploration of individual moral decay.

The film utilizes casting practices typical of its production era, including a white actor portraying a character of Mexican ethnicity, and does not incorporate explicit DEI-driven casting. Its narrative primarily delves into themes of corruption and justice through its characters, without a central focus on critiquing traditional identities from a diversity, equity, and inclusion perspective.

Secondary

The character Miguel Vargas, a Mexican narcotics agent in the source novel "Badge of Evil," is portrayed by Charlton Heston, a white American actor. This constitutes a race swap as a character's established race/ethnicity from the source material was changed for the screen portrayal.

The film "Touch of Evil" does not feature any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes. While some characters might exhibit traits that could be anachronistically queer-coded, there is no explicit or strongly implied LGBTQ+ presence to evaluate within the narrative.

Touch of Evil does not contain any identifiable transsexual characters or themes. The narrative focuses on crime, corruption, and moral ambiguity within a traditional film noir framework, without engaging with gender identity issues.

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

The film "Touch of Evil" is an adaptation of the novel "Badge of Evil." All major characters, including Miguel Vargas, Susan Vargas, and Hank Quinlan, maintain the same gender as established in the original source material.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

8.8

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
8.0
The Movie Database logo
7.7

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
9.6
Metacritic logo
9.9

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