Oft times an author's first major work is his/her best work. This is true for director Abraham Polonsky. Had Polonsky not been blacklisted by the Hollywood and Congressional bigots who knows what he might have done. Certainly his earlier script for "Body and Soul" is one of the best in movie history. Since he was later blacklisted by the power hungry hooligans of the nation, it is easy to read too much Marxism and Communist psycho-babble into "Force of Evil." In pointing out that there is not much difference between underworld numbers banking and banking in the world of acceptable business, Polonsky is utilizing social and political criticism, not of necessity a Marxist slant. Marxism is an entire Utopian recreation of the economic world order, not artistic expression and intellectual conceptualization as presented by Polonsky in "Force of Evil." The director/writer is also concerned with moral bankruptcy in justifying evil as a means of rationalizing big profits from illegal activities.
There is a spin off story concerning two brothers, one of whom has warped scruples who helped his younger brother become a successful if now corrupt corporate lawyer with no scruples until tempered by the seemingly innocent babe in the woods Doris Lowry (Beatrice Pearson) who in reality has questionable morals herself yet clothed in hypocrisy. Both Doris and Leo Morse (Thomas Gomez)are pursued by their own demons. The viewer has to determine where the moral depravity or evil actually lies and with whom. The title "Force of Evil" could just as well be "THE Force of Evil," since evil tends to be almost omnipotent that every mortal is tempted and it takes very strong souls indeed to resist and remain true to heart. It's much easier to make a deal with the devil in the fashion of Faust and to take the wrong highway at the crossroads.
The brilliant John Garfield who left this world much too soon never gave a poor performance. Only Garfield could have done justice to the complicated complex character of Joe Morse. Yet Thomas Gomez stays up with Garfield all the way and nearly steals the show as Joe's impenetrable sibling whose persona appears one-dimensional on the surface until one begins to scratch away the enamel.
A delectable bonus for the viewer is the magnetic New York City photography that takes on the appearance of Edward Hopper paintings, as Polonsky intended. All the exterior shots are to be savored but one that sticks in the mind long after the film ends is near the final credits when Joe seeks where his brother Leo's body has been dumped. The narration by Joe tells it all as he runs in a desperate gait downward toward the murky water, with Doris trying to keep up but mainly just watching.
One of the neglected movie gems of the 1940's, not to be missed.
There is a spin off story concerning two brothers, one of whom has warped scruples who helped his younger brother become a successful if now corrupt corporate lawyer with no scruples until tempered by the seemingly innocent babe in the woods Doris Lowry (Beatrice Pearson) who in reality has questionable morals herself yet clothed in hypocrisy. Both Doris and Leo Morse (Thomas Gomez)are pursued by their own demons. The viewer has to determine where the moral depravity or evil actually lies and with whom. The title "Force of Evil" could just as well be "THE Force of Evil," since evil tends to be almost omnipotent that every mortal is tempted and it takes very strong souls indeed to resist and remain true to heart. It's much easier to make a deal with the devil in the fashion of Faust and to take the wrong highway at the crossroads.
The brilliant John Garfield who left this world much too soon never gave a poor performance. Only Garfield could have done justice to the complicated complex character of Joe Morse. Yet Thomas Gomez stays up with Garfield all the way and nearly steals the show as Joe's impenetrable sibling whose persona appears one-dimensional on the surface until one begins to scratch away the enamel.
A delectable bonus for the viewer is the magnetic New York City photography that takes on the appearance of Edward Hopper paintings, as Polonsky intended. All the exterior shots are to be savored but one that sticks in the mind long after the film ends is near the final credits when Joe seeks where his brother Leo's body has been dumped. The narration by Joe tells it all as he runs in a desperate gait downward toward the murky water, with Doris trying to keep up but mainly just watching.
One of the neglected movie gems of the 1940's, not to be missed.