Movies - Force of Evil

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	Movies - Force of Evil

Film-noir 'Force of Evil' (1948) was the directorial debut of Abraham Polonsky who had already achieved a name for himself as a scriptwriter, most notably for gritty boxing film Body and Soul (1947). Like Body and Soul it starred John Garfield and was a thinly veiled attack on the spiritually corruptive power of capitalism. Perhaps unsurprisingly Polonsky was a known communist and later tangled with Senator McCarthy and the HUAC. The plot of Force of Evil concerns a lawyer, Joe Morse, (Garfield) working for a powerful gangster, Tucker, who wishes to consolidate and control the numbers racket in New York. This means assuming control of the many smaller numbers rackets, one of which is run by Morse’s older brother Leo Morse(Thomas Gomez). The plot which unfolds is a terse, melodramatic thriller notable for realist location photography, almost poetic dialogue and frequent biblical allusions (Kane and Abel, Judas’s betrayal, stigmata). The complex relationship between the brothers forms the psychological, emotional and narrative core of the film and, by director Martin Scorsese's own admission, was a key influence on the brother’s relationship in Raging Bull (he has also credited Body and Soul as an influence).

The movie was adapted by Abraham Polonsky and Ira Wolfert from Wolfert's novel Tucker's People.

The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The black-and-white film is 78 minutes long.

Reaction

The film received mostly positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes "Critics Tomatometer" gives the film a "Fresh" reading of 100 percent.

Don Druker for the Chicago Reader notes: "This is film noir at its best."

Featured cast

Trivia

In order to show cinematographer George Barnes how he wanted the film to look, Polonsky gave him a book of Edward Hopper's Third Avenue paintings.

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