A good private eye film, even if too long and overpraised

Rating: Null/10 (9 December 2006)

Despite its reputation, "Chinatown" lacks the wit, speed and economy of the best movies in the private eye genre: this is no "Maltese Falcon" or "The Big Sleep." It's not bad: Robert Towne gives us a cleverly convoluted script with some sharp lines; the color photography is seamy and compelling; the bluesy Jerry Goldsmith score is hypnotic; and Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway are the perfect 1970s choices for a 1930s private detective and femme fatale. But these things don't work as well if you're not made to suggest things. Censoring bad language, nudity and violence is not an activity just for prudes and moralists; it also forces filmmakers to work harder. Roman Polanski directs and makes room for his typical grotesquery. One scene in a morgue shows us a naked corpse as set decoration: it just lies there, almost out of sight. Why? If Polanski wanted to shock us, why didn't he give us a full view? Why distract the audience from the main action? Another scene is unintentionally campy. I can't describe it fully without spoiling a surprise, but it's the one where Nicholson repeatedly slaps Dunaway. Her line seems worthy of "Mommie Dearest."