to tell the truth,i lied a little

Rating: 9/10 (2 December 2005)

there is more than a little truth to this story about treachery and deceit in 1930's L.A.loosely based on former politician James Mulholland(note the characters'names-Mulwray,Mulvihill,etc.)the plot is fairly simple.poor farmers are being forced off their land so that powerful city fathers can pick it up cheap.detective J.J.Gittes is dragged into this mess unwittingly and soon realizes it is much bigger than he first thought.after a series of misadventures Gittes(Jack Nicholson)comes through unscathed(although missing a bit of his nose).but between a client with something to hide,and bureaucratic red tape Gittes takes the long road to the truth.possibly Nicholson's best performance(a tough call)as well as a schizoid Faye Dunaway.the great director John Huston does an acting turn here with his usual aplomb(come,come Mr.Gits)look for a brief appearance by director Roman Polanski as a knife-wielding punk.a film i can watch over and over.