Arresting Mystery

Rating: Null/10 (14 July 2002)

Roman Polanski enjoyed his best film since his "Rosemary's Baby" with "Chinatown." An extremely intricate, well conceived crime thriller scripted by Robert Towne and Polanski, this film is reminiscent of (or pays tribute to) a number of cinematic predecessors.
John Huston, who has a key role here, enjoyed his own great directorial success with "The Maltese Falcon," and in "Chinatown," the hero (played by Jack Nicholson in a Sam Spade/Phillip Marlow role) engages in a bit of deja vu with Faye Dunaway toward the end. Nicholson phones the cops in the presence of Dunaway, then begs her to tell him the truth about her spurious "alabi" before the fuzz arrives. It's a situation directly from the Huston film (when Humphrey Bogart acts out an identical scenario with Mary Astor).

Dunaway played the same type character here as six years earlier in "The Thomas Crown Affair," and obviously did it so well that "Thomas Crown" served as a shoe-in for her casting in "Chinatown."
Polanski's "semi-subjective camera" honors Robert Mongomery's pioneer work in "Lady in the Lake" (1947) as the viewer closely follows the action from the left shoulder of Nicholson as he craftily solves the mystery web.

An unusual score with sharp percussive strikes in the low piano register, balanced with a cool trumpet and strings, embroider the soundtrack, and lending an air of both suspense and sophistication to the ambience.

The business about private vs government controlled power and water seems a bit complex to fully fathom in a single viewing; still, the impression is that all the pieces of this involved puzzle fit together--the result of very crafty writing.
The result is a film that holds up well despite it's forthcoming quarter century anniversary. This quality piece of work didn't go unrecognized by either critics or public, and it remains an audience favorite occupying a respectable place on most "all time best" lists.