Force of Evil by Abraham Polonsky

It’s hard to define a movie like Force of Evil. It is known as one of the great film noirs of its time, but just like the best genre films, it cannot be limited to categorisations. This movie, the first feature directed by Abraham Polonsky, is a great mix of thriller and suspense, but it also has a lot of melodrama and a fantastic “real life” atmosphere.

The plot revolves around a lawyer, Joe Morse (John Garfield), who works for a big-shot gangster (Roy Roberts). They want to control the numbers racket in New York and for that, Morse will find out that he has to destroy his brother Leo’s (Thomas Gomez) business. Joe and Leo have never had a good relationship, and it will only grow worse. Taking the city of New York as one of his protagonists, Polonsky (a New York son himself, just like John Garfield) brings together an intricate tale of family relationships which - following once again the film noir tradition - has a necessary bloody finale.

Force of Evil is one of the most important references for Martin Scorsese’s films, and it is not hard to see why. Not only the technical aspects, but also the relationships between the characters, can be clearly seen as inspiration for movies such as Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino and The Departed. Banned from the business after refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (and Force of Evil clearly has a left-wing discourse), Polonsky would only come back to the movies in 1969 with the western Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here.

Joao Candido Zacharias