In Touch of Evil, Orson Welles shapes a standard crime story in a new way by the creative use of the camera and by strong characterizations. The opening sequence is justifiably famous and sets the tone for the work--it involves a mixture of different levels of action, with characters introduced in passing as they move through the landscape, and with the movement of the camera carrying the viewer from one plane of action to another as suspense is created by the expectation that the bomb the audience has seen placed in the car will explode. The long take that constitutes the first several minutes of the film unifies the action on both sides of the border and makes the viewer an observer in a more direct fashion than is usual. The fluidity of Welles's camera is evident in this scene and in alter scenes, notably another sequence with a lengthy take, that in the motel room as the search is made for a clue that is found after the viewer has been given evidence that no clue is there.
Welles using camera angles in different ways to emphasize aspects of a scene in this film. When the sheriff emerges from his vehicle, he is shot from below to create a sense of size and power. At the end of the film, this is reversed as the camera looks down on him as he slumps along the bank of the viaduct, a man much diminished by the knowledge we have acquired of him and his methods. Skewed camera angles are used in the Mexican motel to recreate the experience of Janet Leigh as she is threatened, drugged, and frightened. Low camera angels are used to emphasize the height and power of the Mexican detective played by Charlton Heston, and this is especially noticeable in the final confrontation between himself and the Welles character as their power roles are more clearly reversed.
Welles adds energy to many scenes that are common to the genre and so gives them a fresh feel. Heston hooks up with an American police prosecutor who also believes t...