L.A. is more than just the City of Angels.

Rating: 10/10 (18 May 2012)

The penetrating direction of Roman Polanski (ROSEMARY'S BABY, THE PIANIST) evaluates what would have been a standard, revisionist noir into one of the most brilliant American masterpieces of 1970's cinema.
1937 Los Angeles was just a booming small town in the twilight of the depression and it would take another world war to rise out of that struggle. Jack Nicholson gives a tour-de-force performance as private eye J.J. Gittes who literally sticks his nose where it doesn't belong. As we are given a tour around the historic sites of the City of Angels, Nicholson falls into a quagmire of deception, devastating betrayal, and corporate politics involving the Department of Water and Power. Faye Dunaway gives one of her last great performances as the late chief engineer's wife Evelyn Mulwray with a secret that would lead to the film's shocking twist. The legendary actor/director John Huston is an unforgettable screen presence as Noah Cross, the unscrupulous man behind Water and Power. And guess who plays the man that slit Nicholson's nose?
Screenwriter Robert Towne's Oscar-winning script is filled with memorable lines such as "Let's face it, Jake. You're practically a movie star." and "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Jerry Goldsmith's score is beautiful and haunting. Richard Sylbert's production design is magnificently flawless. And John A. Alonzo's Panavision cinematography captures the compositions so masterfully that the film must be seen on DVD instead of being pan-and-scanned for television.
The film is just one of those movies you watch numerous times in order to discover something new within the story. Complex and intricate, CHINATOWN is one of Polanski's best works and one of the best in the genre.