This gritty, quintessential, eternally underrated noir is drenched in greed, cynicism, and corruption of the soul, as embodied by the great John Garfield (The Postman Always Rings Twice). He plays Joe Morse, a lawyer whose connection to a ruthless racketeer has destroyed his sense of morality. His participation in a rigged numbers racket will probably ruin his high-strung brother (Thomas Gomez, superb), whose small-time policy bank stands to be wiped out by the scheme. The supporting cast is uniformly outstanding, but special mention must be made of noir queen Marie Windsor (The Killing).
The film is renowned for its unique, poetic script—co-written by first-time director Abraham Polonsky and Ira Wolfert—which utilizes stylized dialogue and narration frequently described as blank verse. This rhythmic, often iambic, language creates a heightened, lyrical atmosphere that contrasts with the harsh, criminal underworld setting, elevating the noir genre into a form of modern, urban poetry.
Force of Evil did middling business on its release, but has seen its reputation grow over the years. Influential critic Andrew Sarris called it “one of the great films of modern American cinema,” while Martin Scorsese dubbed it “the gem of neglected 1940s art cinema and a major influence on my own work.”
Polonsky was swept up in the HUAC Hollywood blacklist, despite being a WWII veteran. Dubbed “a very dangerous citizen” by a committee member, Polonsky was barred from directing from 1951 until 1969, when he returned to direct the Robert Redford vehicle Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here.