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
Touch of Evil of his suggestions went unheeded and "Touch of Evil" was eventually released in a version running 93 minutes. A 1957 Variety review of the movie starts, "Touch of Evil smacks of brilliance but ultimately flounders in it." In the mid-1970s, Universal discovered that it held a 108-minute print of "Touch of Evil" in its archives. Aware that there was a growing audience of cineastes with a strong interest in Welles's work, the studio released this version to cinemas in 1976 and later issued it on video, billing it as "complete, uncut and restored". In fact, this print was not a