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.
The film received mostly positive reviews.
Rotten Tomatoes "Critics Tomatometer" gives the film a "Fresh" reading of 100 percent.
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Don Druker for the
Chicago Reader notes: "This is film noir at its best."
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- 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.
