Chinatown

Rating: 10/10 (4 May 2017)

Isolation, corruption of police, turning a profit on natural resources, each issue is tackled in brilliant form in the 1974 film by Roman Polanski. Dealing with his own internal turmoil near the time of filming, Polanski opted not for the happy ending screenwriter Robert Towne wanted and fought for, but instead the brutality of real life. Sometimes people die who are not supposed to, and oftentimes, things don't work out as they should and people are worse off than they began. I'm a humanist and a fan of humanistic films (I'm gazing at you, Francois Truffaut) so I appreciate when a film forgoes the ending tying everything up with a bow and opts for the realism that often leaves life less neat than we would like. Chinatown takes place in Los Angeles in 1937 where J.J. Gittes, a private eye is hired to find out if a husband is cheating on his wife. Jake soon realizes he is tailing a powerful man and gets pulled into a web of money and politics he could never have anticipated. Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and legendary John Huston, Chinatown is a perfect neo-noir, so perfect in fact that lines are often blurred and the film is often referred to as a noir rather than a neo-noir. Chinatown came out over 40 years ago in one of the very best years of American cinema and has persisted as a pinnacle of cinematic art.
J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a private eye in L.A. who usually handles cases regarding philandering spouses and uses any means necessary to close his cases. Gittes also gains most of his business via what's printed about him in the newspapers, so he's no stranger to bringing publicity upon himself. Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) seeks the help of Gittes due to her fear that her husband Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling) is having an affair. Hollis is the Commissioner and Chief Engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power which means he has quickly become one of the most powerful and influential politicians in the area due to the chronic drought experienced in the Los Angeles area. Gittes doesn't let Mulwray get too far away from him following him as he attends commission meetings and to various reservoirs, aqueducts, dams and waterways. Jake does eventually snap a photo of Hollis Mulwray with another woman. When the story makes the front page of the paper, Gittes is visited by the real Mrs. Mulwray threatening to sue Gittes. With his reputation at stake, Gittes is eager to talk to the real Mr. Mulwray but the Mulwrays are reluctant to talk to him until Mrs. Mulwray finally talks to Gittes and agrees to drop the lawsuit. When Gittes is persistent in speaking to Hollis, Evelyn finally suggests that Gittes tries to locate him at the Oak Pass at Stone Canyon Reservoir. Gittes does find him there, along with the police as he has been killed. Evelyn covers for Jake being at the reservoir so he is not implicated in Hollis's murder. Jake's interest in Evelyn has been piqued, and she is strongly drawn to him, as well. The relationship between the pair grows and leads them down roads of scandal and corruption Jake could have never imagined.
From the beginning, Chinatown is a perfect noir. From the font of the credits to the emanating score, Chinatown proves its roots in neo- noir. Polanski's brilliant direction is clear from the beginning as he pays brilliant homage to classic noir films with his apt camera work. There is a zoom shot into the rear-view mirror of Jakes car that is the stuff dreams are made of. We also see a brilliant shot through a pair of binoculars Jake is gazing through creating a captivating view into Jake's work. The perfectly haunting score throughout the film is only eclipsed by the brilliant flawless camera movement. Dunaway leaves no doubt that she is the film's siren as she clumsily reaches for a cigarette only to be reminded by Jake that she's "already got one going". The screenplay is incredible, and the interactions between characters are truly divine to experience. John Huston, screen legend, is intensely engaging in his role as land baron Noah Cross. Despite the biblical inspiration of his name, Noah seeks to keep water from surrounding land in order to irrigate it and sell the land he buys at a reduced rate; Huston encapsulates an evil in the guise of overt niceness like no one else could have done. The isolation and loneliness of Gittes are the film's shining takeaway. Reminiscent, probably, of the isolation director Roman Polanski felt just before he fled the country, Gittes is always searching for truth, but even when he finds it, nothing can be done because corruption rules the city. Gittes is no angel, of course, often employing illegal means to close his cases, really drives home the idea that the world is full of gray areas and we are but mere pawns to a system few of us get to actively participate in.