Force of Evil

This gritty and quintessential film noir is drenched in greed, cynicism and corruption of the soul, as embodied by John Garfield (The Postman Always Rings Twice, He Ran All the Way) in one of his most memorable roles. Garfield is perfectly cast as Joe Morse, a lawyer whose connection to a ruthless racketeer has nearly destroyed his sense of morality. His participation in a rigged numbers racket could prove disastrous for his high-strung brother (superbly played by Thomas Gomez, Key Largo), whose small-time policy bank stands to go broke when the rigged numbers pay off. Writer and director Abraham Polonsky (in his masterful directorial debut) was later victimized by the Hollywood blacklist, curtailing his career for decades until he directed Robert Redford in 1969’s Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here. Force of Evil also features a scorching supporting cast which includes Beatrice Pearson (Lost Boundaries), Paul Fix (Guns, Girls and Gangsters), Howland Chamberlain (House by the River) and film noir queen Marie Windsor (The Killing).