One of the most unique and entertaining films on the 1950s. Orson Welles' unorthodox and bizarre film noir deals with controversial subjects like narcotics and corruption. The films works despite Charlton Heston's terrible performance as Mike Vargas, the Mexican (!) narcotics agent who gets mixed up in an investigation into a terrorist bombing. Janet Leigh plays Susan, his American wife, who is resting in a remote hotel until she is terrorized by a Mexican gang. Welles gives a superb performance as respected but corrupt Texas cop Hank Quinlan. Welles' screenplay is based on a previously shelved screenplay, which was based on the pulp novel Badge of Evil (1956), which Welles never read. But the film's success lies mostly in its unique editing, stark lighting and sweeping photography. Set in a U.S./Mexican border town, the film's unique visual style is one that has rarely been seen since its release in 1958.