Sad Story Of Corruption

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2013)

Roman Polanski directed this complex but fascinating story of corruption that stars Jack Nicholson as private detective J.J. Gittes, who is hired by a woman named Evelyn Mulwray to see if her husband(a water department official) is cheating. It turns out he is, but things take a strange turn when the husband is found dead, and the woman who hired him was an impostor. The real Evelyn Mulwray(played by Faye Dunaway) claims to know nothing of the affair, but Gittes continues to investigate, which leads him to wealthy land owner Noah Cross(played by John Houston) who has shady dealings going on, and also wants to find his granddaughter, which Evelyn knows something about... Superbly directed and acted film is quite uncomfortably cynical and downbeat at times, especially the ending, but remains a fine(updated) throwback to classic film noir.