Force of Evil Force of Evil

Lawyer Joe Morse wants to consolidate all the small-time numbers racket operators into one big powerful operation. But his elder brother Leo is one of these small-time operators who wants to stay that way, preferring not to deal with the gangsters who dominate the big-time.

John Garfield Thomas Gomez Marie Windsor Howland Chamberlain Roy Roberts Paul Fix Barry Kelley Paul McVey Beatrice Pearson

crime action drama

78 mins   More details at IMDb / TMDb

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  • Biff Brandon

    Review by Biff Brandon ★½

    I could not get into this movie. I am a pretty big fan of Garfield but within a few minutes of this one I could only think of one thing: this would have been so much better in the hands of Kirk Douglas.

    Garfield just doesn't convince me as a guy at the top of his game. He is like Mitchum in that way; you don't buy him as a guy who has it all figured out. He has to be the little guy who takes on the big guy and loses. That is the persona he brings to film. It is difficult for him to convey anything else. When he does, he is great. Here, he just brings everything…

  • Adam Cook

    Review by Adam Cook ★★½

    A lot has been written and said about this noir classic (surely both Scorsese and David Thomson couldn't be wrong about it?) with its themes of corruption, family and organised crime. In many ways it feels like the ideal triple bill with the first two Godfather movies yet I think putting it up against those two would see Force of Evil coming up very short. At first I wasn't going to be tough on it because it may just be an age thing. Then I realised that Double Indemnity pre-dates Force of Evil by four years and the film’s faults become a little less excusable.

    I think noir thriller walk a fine line with their dialogue. It is easy for…

  • Derek Hill

    Review by Derek Hill ★★★★★

    Simply one of the best American crime/noir movies ever. It's a clear-eyed look at the levels of corruption in society and how everyone is connected to crime on some level. It's inescapable, which makes the movie's fatalistic tone even more claustrophobic and harrowing. Unlike a lot of noirs, however, this isn't romantic at all. It's brutal and savage, building up to a shocking death scene and a finale that feels like a descent into the abyss (although the last moment does contain a glimmer of hope). It's not without beauty though. Much of the dialogue is written in blank verse and has an incantatory feel to it. Masterpiece.

  • TheDuvalSpit

    Review by TheDuvalSpit ★★★½

    Film noir or American realism? You decide.

  • anne_f_

    Review by anne_f_ ★★★

    "This could have been such a good film, as the story was very interesting, but the acting was dreadful. The films gets points for the views of 1940s New York, some great film effects."

  • Alan_Dorich

    Review by Alan_Dorich ★★★½

    An excellent film about the redemption of an intolerable human being. And to think, this influenced a young Scorsese.

  • Jamie S. Rich

    Review by Jamie S. Rich ★★★★

    My review of Olive Films' new DVD release: www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/56053/force-of-evil/

  • Jostein Ask

    Review by Jostein Ask ★★★

    Handlingen tar for seg advokaten Joe Morse (Garfield) som jobber for en mektig gangster, Tucker som ønsker å kontrollere ”tall-lotteriet” i New York. Joe’s eldre bror Leo styrer en av disse lotteriene.
    Filmen er kjent for bruk av realisitisk foto ”locations” (av New Yorks trafikkbilde), nesten poetisk dialog og ofte innslage av bibelske allusjoner (Cain & Abel, Judas , Stigmata)

    Jeg synes tittelen byr på masse spenning og engasjement, men lever langt ifra den. Hvor spennende er det med tall lotteri blant gangstere egentlig ? Ikke noe særlig !
    Filmen lider av melodramatisk skuespill og er til tider kjedelig og uengasjerende. En gangster i ny og ne dukker opp og løfter interessen min av og til. Samt slutten har en moralsk…

  • nicksav

    Review by nicksav ★★★★★

    A tremendous noir.