Touch of Evil Touch of Evil Touch of Evil is a 1958 American film noir written, directed by and co-starring Orson Welles. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel "Badge of Evil" by Whit Masterson. Along with Welles, the cast includes Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff and Marlene Dietrich. One of the last examples of film noir in the genre's classic period, its reputation has grown since its release, and it is now widely regarded as one of Welles's best motion pictures and one of the best classic-era films noir. In 1993, it was selected for preservation in the
Thunder Road (1958 film) a different arrangement of which was recorded by Mitchum and released as a popular 45 RPM single, also on Capitol. Both songs were co-written by Mitchum. Bruce Springsteen said at a 1978 concert that the name of his song "Thunder Road" had been inspired by seeing a poster of the movie, though he didn't see the movie itself. Thunder Road (1958 film) Thunder Road is a black and white 1958 drama–crime film directed by Arthur Ripley and starring Robert Mitchum, who also produced the film and co-wrote the screenplay. With Don Raye, Mitchum co-wrote the theme song, "The Ballad of