who blew up the car??? - Touch of Evil (1958) Discussion

[–] ShroudOfFrost 15 years ago

It was never thought that Hank blew up the car himself. Hank bought 17 sticks of dynamite and 15 were used on his ranch. Hank took the two leftovers to frame Sanchez for the murder. He had such a good hunch that Sanchez did the murder so he made sure he was going to jail for the crime. Just like in the past where Hank also framed the murderer with placing an axe for Menzies to find. Hank never killed anyone, he just framed people for crimes that he was afraid they would get away with. In the end it was said that Sanchez admitted to blowing up the car himself, so Hank was right all along even though he went about putting him in jail the wrong way.

the ellipsis was a stupid idea

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[–] alfiehitchie 15 years ago

Hank never killed anyone? Aren't you forgetting 'Uncle' Joe Grandi? And he did that with such ease that you got the feeling that this wasn't his first time at bat!

"It's only a mooovie!"

alfie

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Crystal (534) 5 years ago

Was he right? Sanchez had the 'truth' beaten out of him. How do we know that he just confessed so they'd stop abusing him? No one even questions the strange situation with the daughter.

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[–] pjwoodall1 15 years ago

On the Heston/leigh/Schmidlin commentary there is discussion of Rusty Westcoatt's role in the film as Detective Casey who's almost always lurking in the background. Westcoatt was a member of the Columiba serials stock company where was always a henchman except for THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND where he plays Gene Roth's pirate righthand man Moley.

He is also credited as Welles' stunt double, and, if you look close in the bar figt, you can see Dave Sharle tackling Heston. Westcoatt must've doubled Welles at the end of the movie after he's been shot.

The commentary also brings up a very large shadow on one of the buildings after the car's blown up. The implication is it's Quindlan lurking in the background although Westcoatt doubles Welles for that shot.

By extension, Quindlan had something to with the explosion, but in what capacity?

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] pjwoodall1 15 years ago

It was just speculation based on the Heston/Leigh commentary as well as some familiarity with Rusty Westcoatt's numerous serial appearances at Columbia in the late 40's. He was always the henchman except for THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND where he played Gene Roth's righthand man among the pirates. TOE is the only time I've seen him in a major film.

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[–] ajeffries101958 13 years ago

Quinlan did blow up the car. If you watch carefully there is a scene in the aftermath of the explosion that shows a shadow on a wall limping with a cane that is unmistakably meant to be Quinlan. (And personally I believe Quinlan was the one who actually killed his own wife.)

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[–] TopFrog 13 years ago

This is one I've never heard before. Where exactly is the shot you're referring to (and in what cut of the film)?

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] mjneu59 13 years ago

A belated response, but remember Quinlan's final order to the interrogators, after being told that Sanchez still wouldn't confess: "Break him!!"

So the final question of his guilt, like a lot of other aspects of the film, remains ambivalent.

I've also heard (from one of the commentators on the Preview Version DVD) that Welles himself couldn't have cared less who the actual bomber was...

"Sacred cows make the best hamburger." Mark Twain

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[–] cash_carstar 13 years ago

I've also heard (from one of the commentators on the Preview Version DVD) that Welles himself couldn't have cared less who the actual bomber was...

Yeah. It's a Mcguffin. It's besides the point of the film.

"That's what a gym teacher once told me."

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[–] greekak229 12 years ago

Not sure where the confusion is. Sanchez blew up the car in retaliation for probably getting fired and so that he and his wife could claim the money off her Dad's death. But in the end, it doesn't have much to do with the overall plot, so yeah, a Mcguffin.

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[–] jchcin1 9 years ago

The person planting the bomb is most certainly NOT Quinlan. Skinny guy, able to run, no cane etc.

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[–] JurijFedorov 9 years ago

Yeah... just saw it. No such shadows anywhere. I think you miss-saw something.

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[–] PsychoDingo 10 years ago

Richard MacGuffin

Persian Cinema: http://www.imdb.com/list/O_W_YAxSHQk/

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[–] jquirk-1 9 years ago

I don't think Quinlan had anything to do with blowing up the car. But he might have been responsible for strangling his own wife to death years before. Sanchez certainly killed Linneker. And Quinlan certainly framed Sanchez to expediate the legal process. In the end, Quinlan's best course of action after Vargas accused him of the Sanchez frameup would have been to crawl in a hole somewhere and wait it out. Sanchez would have eventually confessed, and Quinlan's colleagues would have certainly stood by his side with regard to Vargas' accusations. Instead, Quinlan got involved with Uncle Joe Grandi, binge drinking, murder, lies ... all of which led to his destruction.

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[–] Doodlebuger 9 years ago

Anyone noticed the man throwing the explosives into the car boot during the opening scene ? It certainly was not Quinlan, and not just a shadow !

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[–] jchcin1 9 years ago

The only thing I can say with any conclusiveness is that the person planting the bomb is most certainly NOT Quinlan. Skinny guy, able to run, no cane etc. B&W films sometimes makes it difficult to know for certain, but Quinlan it is obviously not.

Could Quinlan have ordered the "hit." Sure, but that's conjecture not alluded to in the film.

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[–] 9 years ago

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