Force of Evil

Released Dec 25, 1948

1 hr. 18 min.

Crime

Drama

List

100%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In New York City, unscrupulous lawyer Joe Morse (John Garfield), has the opportunity to make it big by teaming up with cutthroat gangster Ben Tucker (Roy Roberts) to consolidate the numbers racket. The only hitch in the plan is Morse's brother, Leo (Thomas Gomez), who refuses to involve his bank in the plan. As a result, Leo's bank would go from being saved to being another casualty in Morse and Tucker's thirst for power. Now, Morse must choose between money and family.

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Aideen L

Lyrical dialogue combined with epic cityscapes and intimate close up shots as well as a perfectly nuanced performance by the always riveting John Garfield makes this drama about the corrupting force of capitalist greed a master class in great script writing, casting and technical prowess . The taxi scene dialogue and is pure gold.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

Leaburn O

Pretty bang average light gangster film from back in the day. Hard to find anything remarkable about it and imagine I'll have entirely forgotten it by next week. Found it to watch on YouTube.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

Full Review

jim b

A completely, unbelievably overrated film. A movie to watch now about a numbers racket?, with John Garfield, who was in such great films as The Postman Always Rings Twice, Gentleman's Agreement and Breaking Point, as well as Thomas Gomez playing his brother, who was in the INCREDIBLE and unique film noir Ride The Pink Horse, both in a movie as BAD as THIS?!? So preachy and boring, with a story that has absolutely NOTHING to do with almost anything that is about film noir (except the presence of guns - who CARES), yet THIS piece of garbage is acclaimed by many as one of the greatest ones?!?? What BULL****!!!!! THIS, is HORRENDOUS. Avoid.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

william d

John Garfield is excellent as a sleazy lawyer, but the story is just too weak to recommend a viewing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

William L

Not sure how best to describe this one, but noir-melodrama seems to fit. Garfield's Joe spends about the same amount of time orchestrating a criminal conspiracy aimed at taking over the numbers racket in New York City as he does trying to convince his brother, Leo (Gomez), to escape the lifestyle before Joe's own plan causes his ruin. The film could practically be a stage play given how many scenes take place in a handful of indoor sets (with some notable on-location exceptions, including a final, fateful trip to the coastline) and how short the runtime is, but despite the small scope of the production value Force of Evil still manages to create a solid atmosphere. The film attempts to draw distinctions between the 'honest' criminal in Leo and the underhanded, determined Joe, but the film never really convinces you that Leo's holier-than-thou attitude is really justified - though he maintains a sense of honesty and goodwill, he's still deeply involved in what is technically a criminal enterprise. It's Garfield that forms the real focus of the film, his transformation from the ambitious but composed mob lawyer to an increasingly frenzied, frustrated, and desparate man as his plot crumbles around him and others muscle in, reinforced by recurring motifs, carefully placed imagery, and Biblical allegory (particularly Cain and Abel). As a tightly composed critique of corruption, perhaps one of the most distinctive films noir in the entire canon. (3.5/5)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/28/21

Full Review

s r

1001 movies to see before you die. There are some films you don't need to pay much attention to. I didn't give this one the attention it deserves. After hearing Scorsese talk about it, I gave it another shot. I'm glad I did. It was brilliant in direction, writing, acting and so much more.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Abraham Polonsky

Director

John Garfield

Joe Morse

Beatrice Pearson

Doris Lowry

Thomas Gomez

Leo Morse

Howland Chamberlain

Freddie Bauer

Roy Roberts

Ben Tucker

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

For all its unpleasant nature, it must be said that this film is a dynamic crime-and-punishment drama, brilliantly and broadly realized.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 8, 2006

Full Review

Don Druker

Chicago Reader

A poetic, terse, beautifully exact, and highly personal re-creation of the American underworld, with an unpunctuated Joycean screenplay by Polonsky that is perhaps unique in the American cinema.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Bitter vision of postwar urban inhumanity.

Rated: A

Nov 23, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Abraham Polonsky takes an unflinching jab at America’s all-consuming capitalism, powerfully links the film’s themes with its noirish visual treatment and cutting, and uses poetic dialogue that has the gravitas of a Greek tragedy.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 15, 2022

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

A peak John Garfield vehicle.

Mar 28, 2022

Full Review

Elsa Branden

Photoplay

An exciting, fast-moving picture which reveals crime in a glaringly vicious light.

Rated: 2/3

Aug 20, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

In New York City, unscrupulous lawyer Joe Morse (John Garfield), has the opportunity to make it big by teaming up with cutthroat gangster Ben Tucker (Roy Roberts) to consolidate the numbers racket. The only hitch in the plan is Morse's brother, Leo (Thomas Gomez), who refuses to involve his bank in the plan. As a result, Leo's bank would go from being saved to being another casualty in Morse and Tucker's thirst for power. Now, Morse must choose between money and family.

Director: Abraham Polonsky
Screenwriter: Abraham Polonsky, Ira Wolfert
Distributor: Republic Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1948, Original
Release Date (DVD): May 11, 2004
Sound Mix: Mono