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Force of Evil

Force of Evil

Crime · Drama · 1950

Lawyer Joe Morse wants to consolidate all the small-time numbers racket operators into one big powerful operation. But his elder brother Leo is one of these small-time operators who wants to stay that way, preferring not to deal with the gangsters who dominate the big-time.

Movie details

Force of Evil

“Sensational Story Of a Numbers King Whose Number Was Up!”

1950 Crime · Drama 1h 19m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Lawyer Joe Morse wants to consolidate all the small-time numbers racket operators into one big powerful operation. But his elder brother Leo is one of these small-time operators who wants to stay that way, preferring not to deal with the gangsters who dominate the big-time.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Force of Evil?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Abraham Polonsky

Written by

Abraham Polonsky · Ira Wolfert

John Garfield

John Garfield

Joe Morse

Thomas Gomez

Thomas Gomez

Leo Morse

Marie Windsor

Marie Windsor

Edna Tucker

Howland Chamberlain

Howland Chamberlain

Freddie Bauer

Roy Roberts

Roy Roberts

Ben Tucker

Paul Fix

Paul Fix

Bill Ficco

Stanley Prager

Stanley Prager

Wally

Court is in session

Put Force of Evil on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.