Polanski's greatest achievement.

Rating: 10/10 (20 June 2018)

Chinatown is undoubtedly one of the finest films to emerge from the 1970's, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunnaway, Roman Polanski has delivered a Noir masterpiece for the ages. Detective Jake Gittes, played by Nicholson, is at a glance, your average private eye snoop. He's sneering, untrustworthy and his reputation in and around Los Angeles is much worse. LA is in the midst of a severe drought, and Gittes, during one of his daily endeavours, has uncovered sinister activity by the Department of Water & Power that has the company reaping unfair financial rewards at the cost of unsuspecting landowners. Then there is the mysterious wealthy socialite, Evelyn Mulwray, played by Faye Dunaway, that comes to Gittes for help, but never quite reveals the full length of her troubles. She's elusive, seductive and tangled up in Chinatowns puzzle more than what she's willing to own up to. The drought of course is public knowledge, but when the Boss of Water & Power turns up dead in a reservoir, the LA community soon learn that foul play runs far beyond the boardroom. One of Chinatown's charms is the audience never knows more than Gittes at that certain point. Our detective is never one step ahead, and neither is the audience. Chinatown is not only a noir mystery film, but it's a superior thriller that keeps the viewer deeply involved from the start, to its tragic end.