Force of Evil (1948)

Force of Evil is a 1948 American crime film noir starring John Garfield and directed by Abraham Polonsky. It was adapted by Polonsky and Ira Wolfert from Wolfert’s novel Tucker’s People.^[2] Polonsky had been a screenwriter for the boxing film Body and Soul (1947), in which Garfield had also played the male lead.

Director – Abraham Polonsky

Writers – Abraham Polonsky (screenplay), Ira Wolfert (screenplay)

Cast –
John Garfield as Joe Morse
Beatrice Pearson as Doris Lowry
Thomas Gomez as Leo Morse
Marie Windsor as Edna Tucker
Howland Chamberlain as Frederick “Freddie” Bauer
Roy Roberts as Ben Tucker
Paul Fix as Bill Ficco
Stanley Prager as Wally
Barry Kelley as Det. Egan
Beau Bridges as Frankie Tucker

Watch “Force of Evil” (1948)

Plot

Lawyer Joe Morse (Garfield) works for a powerful gangster, Tucker, who wishes to consolidate and control the numbers racket in New York City. This requires absorbing many smaller outfits, one of which is run by Morse’s older brother Leo (Thomas Gomez). One relishes his life in the underworld, the other is disgusted by it and seeks to minimize its impact. Even seeking to soften things for Leo things go wrong for Joe, and tragedy befalls both.

The terse, melodramatic thriller incorporates realist location photography, almost poetic dialogue and biblical allusions to Cain and Abel and Judas’s betrayal.