Force of Evil

Name: Force of Evil
Genre: Drama, Crime, Film-Noir
Released: March 1, 1949
Duration: 79 min
Rating: 89
Cast: Barry Kelley, Beatrice Pearson, Howland Chamberlain, John Garfield, Marie Windsor

1949

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Universal acclaim based on 10 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: March 1, 1949 | Passed

Starring: Barry Kelley, Beatrice Pearson, Howland Chamberlain, John Garfield, Marie Windsor, Paul Fix, Paul McVey, Roy Roberts, Stanley Prager, Thomas Gomez

Summary: An unethical lawyer, with an older brother he wants to help, becomes a partner with a client in the numbers racket.

Director: Abraham Polonsky

Genre(s): Drama, Crime, Film-Noir

Rating: Passed

Runtime: 79 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Empire Danny Graydon

A shining example of everything Hollywood falling into place, and a masterpiece of cinema. Read full review

100

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

At its best, Force achieves a style at once brutal and poetic, documentarian and noir. Read full review

100

Glenn Kenny

A highly stylized tale. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

One of the key films of the '40s. Read full review

Bosley Crowther

A dynamic crime-and-punishment drama, brilliantly and broadly realized. Read full review

Ruthe Stein

Force of Evil is a more thoughtful kind of film noir than we are used to but still employs the traditional black-and-white contrasts and shadows. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Force of Evil fails to develop the excitement hinted at in the title. Makers apparently couldn't decide on the best way to present an expose of the numbers racket, winding up with neither fish nor fowl as far as hard-hitting racketeer meller is concerned. A poetic, almost allegorical, interpretation keeps intruding on the tougher elements of the plot. This factor adds no distinction and only makes the going tougher. Read full review

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KenR

Aug 4, 2019

Force of Evil – Places Wise Men Would Not Tread When it comes to shamefully overlooked film Noir it doesn’t get much better than this classic. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Ira Wolfert also helpedForce of Evil – Places Wise Men Would Not Tread When it comes to shamefully overlooked film Noir it doesn’t get much better than this classic. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Ira Wolfert also helped adapt his book for this stylish 1948 screen production. Black banned director Abraham Polonsky (Odds Against Tomorrow ’59) pulls out all stops working closely with Wolfert to bring his stories powerful elements and moods starkly to the screen with stylistic professionalism. Prolific Master director of photography George Barnes fills every scene with strikingly lit, superior visuals, and the strong professional cast gives powerhouse performances to hammer home the impact that greed and immorality offer to all those insidiously infected. Fast-paced, with no time wasted padding out unimportant scenes or characters, this is solid storytelling all the way through to its forceful finale. (there are suggestions that another 10 mins may have been edited to qualify for a double bill release? – if so, would be marvellous to see these scenes)

For stage actress Beatrice Pearson this is one, of only two film roles in her career. Always impressive Thomas Gomez (Key Largo ’48) excels as the dedicated brother, attempting to bring a little more decency to John Garfield’s corrupt lawyer. With art direction by soon-to-be director Robert Day – combined with various striking locations (the George Washington Bridge finale is exceptional) and a dramatic music score by David Raksin, this makes for an impressive, well above average viewing experience for the dedicated Noir devote. Forget the Marxist rants of some others; this is a multi-layered morality play of crime, greed and brother against brother for all the wrong reasons. It’s quite unforgettable of its time. Note: The Republic DVD release has an excellent image from an original source but the soundtrack lacks some quality. The later Olive DVD release offers excellent images and much-improved sound quality.… Expand

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