The Enduring Power Of Evil And Corruption

Rating: 10/10 (7 March 2012)

"Chinatown" begins in a deceptively straightforward manner but soon develops into a complex mystery which involves deception, murder and corruption. The action is set in drought stricken L.A. during the 1930s and the stylish way in which the atmosphere and look of the period are evoked is just one of the many strengths of this exceptional movie. Ironically, its story, which conveys such a great sense of time and place, actually deals with various forms of evil that are utterly timeless and leads to a grim denouement in which evil is seen to prevail and corruption continues unabated. The sheer power and reality of this conclusion is, no doubt, one of the elements that makes "Chinatown" so memorable and contributes so strongly to its enduring appeal.
Having been hired by a client who presented herself as Mrs Evelyn Mulwray, private eye J.J. "Jake" Gittes (Jack Nicholson) tails Mr Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling) who's suspected of being involved in an adulterous relationship and photographs him with his young mistress. When the photos appear in the newspapers, a little while later, Mr Mulwray (who's the Chief Engineer in the L.A. Water and Power Department) finds that his reputation is damaged and when the real Mrs Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) turns up at Gittes' office and threatens him with a lawsuit, he becomes determined to find out who was behind the scheme to use him to discredit Mulwray.
Mulwray is found dead and is believed to have drowned but Gittes suspects that he's been murdered. The investigation he then embarks on, leads to the discovery of a conspiracy to use phony names and the city's water supply to manipulate land prices in the northwest valley. A number of surprising complications also then come to light in the relationships between Evelyn, her husband, her daughter and her father who's a wealthy and seriously corrupt businessman called Noah Cross (John Huston).
When the police begin to suspect that Evelyn may have been involved in Mulwray's murder, Gittes tries to protect her and her daughter by arranging a means of escape for them, but things don't go according to plan.
Roman Polanski directs "Chinatown" with great skill and some moments of conspicuous flair and the pace of the movie is perfect for the period in which it's set and the nature of its characters. It's exceptionally well written by Oscar winning Robert Towne who times the various developments to perfection and the technique of putting the audience in Gittes' shoes makes the whole journey a riveting experience.
Jack Nicholson successfully balances Gittes' cynicism, glibness and sarcasm with his sensitive side in a portrayal which is extremely effective and, by his standards, rather reined in. Faye Dunaway is wonderfully inscrutable as a woman who turns out to be much more vulnerable and damaged than one first suspects and John Huston brings immense power to his role as an incredibly evil and dangerous villain who tries to rationalise his own depravity by suggesting that it's merely the result of unfortunate circumstances.
Gittes' experience of working in Chinatown before he became a private eye taught him that in that area, you can't always tell what's going on and that trying to help someone could actually wind up with them suffering as a consequence. Bearing in mind what Gittes learns and feels at the end of this movie, the metaphorical significance of Chinatown is self-evident.