Force of Evil

Alphabetical Listing of Movie Reviews

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z


  • Force of Evil -- Gritty crime picture in which a dishonest lawyer (John Garfield) helps a gangster (Roy Roberts) take control of the New York numbers racket, then gets his reluctant older brother (Thomas Gomez) involved which leads to his death when a rival mob muscles in and the police get evidence of the lawyer's leading part in the racket. Directed by Abraham Polonsky, the story focuses on the gradual awakening of the greedy lawyer's conscience to the evil consequences of what he has done, though it is Garfield's edgy performance and George Barnes' evocative location photography which most hold interest today. Stylized violence and criminal activities. (A-II) (br) ( 1948 )




    These movies have been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The reviews include the CNS rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.

    The classifications are as follows:

    A-I -- general patronage;
    A-II -- adults and adolescents;
    A-III -- adults;
    L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
    O -- morally offensive.

    Note: Some movies previously were designated A-IV. Older films with this classification should be regarded as classified L.

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