Touch of Evil (1958) The Film Noir classic directed by Orson Welles starring Charlton Heston & Janet Leigh

<b>Book Vs. Movie: Touch of Evil </b><br /><b>The 1956 novel Badge of Evil Vs. the 1958 Film Noir Classic<br /><br /><br />The Margos dive right back into one of our favorite genres--film noir! The 1958 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Orson Welles’s</a> directed film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052311/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Touch of Evil</a> is based on a 1956 novel by Whit Masteron titled <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8486392-badge-of-evil" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Badge of Evil</a>. The book sold reasonably well at the time, but at the time, the movie was given mixed reviews due to Welles not staying until the final edit process. </b><br /><b><br />In 1998, a “re-cut” of the film was based on a 58-page memo Welles had sent to the studio 40 years previously is now considered a modern classic and one of the last true “film noirs” to be released. </b><br /><b><br />Whit Masterson was the nom de plume of two writers--Wade Miller and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14417212.Will_Daemer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Will Daemer</a> who wrote more than 30 books together (including <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058267/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kitten With a Whip</a> in 1964!) Their original story is about a man, Rudy Linneker, killed by a dynamite blast at this home. His daughter Tara stands to make $2 million and is engaged to someone her father disapproved of before her death. There are other suspects, including Ernest Farnum, a disgruntled employee who improbably confesses. </b><br /><b><br />Detectives Leron McCoy and Hank Quinlan are considered “legends” in Los Angeles for their excellent work, and Assistant District Attorney Mitch Holt is suspicious. The rest of the story is a mish-mash of double-crossing police and families in danger, with several lives and careers ruined while exposing hypocrisy and crime in the L.A. police. </b><br