Touch of Evil

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Touch of Evil is a 1958 film about a Mexican government investigator and his young American wife who must put their honeymoon on hold in an American border town when they become embroiled in a frame-up planned by the town's chief investigator.

Directed by Orson Welles. Written by Orson Welles, based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson.
The Strangest Vengeance Ever Planned!

Spoiler warning: Plot, ending, or solution details follow.

Contents

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Ramon Miguel 'Mike' Vargas

  • This isn't the real Mexico. You know that. All border towns bring out the worst in a country. I can just imagine your mother's face if she could see our honeymoon hotel.
  • Listen, I'm no cop now. I'm a husband! What did you do with her? Where's my wife?
  • A policeman's job is only easy in a police state.
  • There are all kinds of policemen, sir. I don't have to tell you that. A few take bribes... Most are honest, yes, but even some of the honest men abuse their power in other ways.
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Police Captain Hank Quinlan

  • That was the last killer that ever got out of my hands.
  • We're gonna get him where it really hurts and without laying a hand on him. He's got a reputation. He's got a young bride. He's gonna leave this town wishing he and that wife of his had never been born.
  • [to Menzies] Look out. Vargas'll turn you into one of these here starry-eyed idealists. They're the ones making all the real trouble in the world. Be careful, they're worse than crooks. You can always do something with a crook.
  • [Quinlan fires a pistol at Vargas, not hitting him] That wasn't no miss, Vargas. That was just to turn you 'round, so I don't have to shoot you in the back. Unless you'd rather run for it.
  • [after being shot by Menzies] Pete. That's the second bullet I, I stopped for you.
  • There's an old lady on Main Street last night picked up a shoe. The shoe had a foot in it. We're going to make you pay for that mess.
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Dialogue

Vargas: This could be very bad for us.
Susan: For us?
Vargas: For Mexico, I mean.
Schwartz: I don't know what Quinlan thinks she's got to do with it.
Adair: Tanya? Oh, maybe she'll cook chili for him, or, uh, bring out the crystal ball.
Quinlan: What's my fortune? You've been reading the cards, haven't ya?
Tanya: I've been doing the accounts.
Quinlan: Come on, read my future for me.
Tanya: You haven't got any.
Quinlan: What do you mean?
Tanya: Your future is all used up.
Vargas: Captain, you won't have any trouble with me.
Quinlan: You bet your sweet life I won't.
Vargas: How could you arrest me here? This is my country.
Quinlan: This is where you're gonna die.
Menzies: [to Vargas] Well, Hank has done it again. He's nailed his man.
Quinlan: Thanks to you, pardner.
Menzies: Me? If that dynamite had been a snake there in the bathroom, it would have bit me.
Quinlan: [to Vargas] ...This is it, we've broken the case. Rudi Linnekar was, uh, blown up with eight sticks of dynamite and, uh, Sanchez stole ten. That leaves two and we've found 'em both. You heard that boy. We found the dynamite.
Sanchez: That's impossible.
Quinlan: We found two sticks.
Sanchez: ...Where did you find this?
Quinlan: Right here in your love nest.
Sanchez: Where?
Menzies: Where you had it stashed, of course.
Sanchez: What are you trying to do?
Quinlan: We're trying to strap you to the electric chair, boy.
Menzies: We don't like it when innocent people are blown to jelly in our town.
Vargas: You framed that boy.
Quinlan: FRAMED him!
Pete Menzies: You're a killer.
Quinlan: Partly. I'm a cop.
Pete Menzies: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Drunk and crazy as you must have been when you strangled him. I guess you were somehow thinking of your wife, the way she was strangled.
Quinlan: I'm always thinking of her, drunk or sober. What else is there to think about, except my job, my dirty job?
Pete Menzies: You didn't have to make it dirty.
Quinlan: I don't call it dirty. Look at the record, our record, partner. Huh?
Pete Menzies: Sure, sure, sure.
Quinlan: Well? All those convictions.
Quinlan: I don't speak Mexican. Let's keep it in English, Vargas.
Vargas: That's all right with me. I'm sure he's just as unpleasant in any language.
Sanchez: Unpleasant? Strange. I've been told I have a very winning personality. The very best shoe clerk the store ever had.
Quinlan: I'm no lawyer. All a lawyer cares about is the law.
Vargas: Captain, you are a policeman, aren't you?
Quinlan: Hmm, hmm. Aren't you? You don't seem very positive about the job.
Vargas: There are plenty of soldiers who don't like war. It's a dirty job, enforcing the law, but it's what we're supposed to be doing, isn't it?
Quinlan: I don't know about you, when a murderer's loose, I'm supposed to catch him.
Tanya: We're closed.
Quinlan: You've been cookin' at this hour?
Tanya: Just cleanin' up.
Quinlan: Have you forgotten your old friend, hmm?
Tanya: I told you we were closed.
Quinlan: I'm Hank Quinlan.
Tanya: I didn't recognize you. You should lay off those candy bars.
Quinlan: It's either the candy or the hooch. I must say, I wish it was your chili I was gettin' fat on. Anyway, you're sure lookin' good.
Tanya: You're a mess, honey.
Quinlan: Yeah. That pianola sure brings back memories.
Tanya: The customers go for it - it's so old, it's new. We got the television too. We run movies. What can I offer you?
Schwartz: Intuition?
Vargas: Why not? Quinlan doesn't have a monopoly on hunches.
[Last lines]
Tanya: Isn't somebody gonna come and take him away?
Schwartz: Yeah, in just a few minutes. You really liked him didn't you?
Tanya: The cop did... the one who killed him... he loved him.
Schwartz: Well, Hank was a great detective all right.
Tanya: And a lousy cop.
Schwartz: Is that all you have to say for him?
Tanya: He was some kind of a man... What does it matter what you say about people?
Schwartz: Goodbye Tanya.
Tanya: Adiós.
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Cast

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