The film deserves a more expansive discussion than what Clute and Edwards provide here, but their overview of the film is a solid start for anyone who hasn't seen it. And if you haven't, please rectify the situation ASAP!
FORCE OF EVIL (1948)
"What do you mean gangsters? This is business."
Force of Evil, Abraham Polonsky's superlative 1948 debut, is as brave and uncompromising as Polonsky himself. When making this film, Polonsky had no way of knowing he was about to be called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and it would be over twenty years before he directed another movie. But when we watch Force of Evil, we see a degree of bravery and intelligence that would lead us to believe Polonsky would refuse to name names for HUAC, and would accept his blacklist status without breaking—as was the case.
Force of Evil tells the story of Joe Morse (John Garfield), an ambitious lawyer whose principal client is Joe Tucker (Roy Roberts), the boss of a numbers racket. Together, they put in a fix to bankrupt the other rackets and force them all into a quasi-legal lotto to be controlled by the two of them. One of the victims of their scheme is Joe's brother Leo (Thomas Gomez), who has a small "numbers bank" of his own.
As Joe struggles to bring Leo into the fold without spilling the fix, and Leo fights to retain his business without exactly going straight, we see more shades of grey than are found at most bankers conventions. Everyone is willing to turn a blind eye to moral trespasses if they stand to profit. Some will sell out cheap. Some will see their errors and mend their ways--or, at least, raise their price. Corruption is no longer a question of type of activity, it's a question of scale. Small-time graft is shown to be far less dangerous than the big-time rackets that have the law, the trust of the public, and the appearance of respectability on their side.
Ultimately, the crime is the system itself, and Force of Evil shows the very philosophical underpinnings of capitalism to be liable; listen to Joe's speech to Doris Lowry (Beatrice Pearson) in the taxi, and just try and claim otherwise. And while Polonsky's willingness to take on the corruption inherent in the system is remarkable, the degree of craft he exhibits as a rookie director is nothing short of astonishing. The screenplay he co-authors with Ira Wolfert (on whose novel Tucker's People the film is based) is so sharp and biting, so rich in its ability to expose the poverty of our dreams, and so stylized and impossibly catchy in its dialogue, that it can't help but feel more real than real.
With this script and uncommon directing talent, Polonsky coaxes career-best performances from Garfield, Gomez, and Marie Windsor, whose few minutes of screen time as Mrs. Tucker are so powerful that we imagine an entire backstory with her as the femme fatale pulling all strings behind the scenes. And with Director of Photography George Barnes, Polonsky gives us some of the most beautiful and narratively rich shots in film history, alternately using the camera to reinforce and undermine the principal themes and actions of the story, and create tremendous tension.
Force of Evil is one of those rare film masterpieces in which the story, script, casting, acting, direction, photography, and sound design work in perfect harmony to create a taut and deeply enjoyable story. And it may be the noir that most perfectly captures the societal anxieties of America in the late 40's--the ambiguous and fearful relationship to the great cities and great institutions that were the sclerotic backbone of the country after WWII. When we see this film, we begin to understand the devastating cultural price we pay when we allow ourselves to live according to the status quo, and be governed by fear.
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