To tell you the truth, I lied a little.

Rating: 10/10 (12 May 2015)

Film Noir is my favorite genre and I'm ashamed to admit that until now I have never seen Chinatown. The fact that it's not technically a Film-Noir and more accurately defined a Neo-Noir is irrelevant because had this exact film been released in 1954 instead of 1974 nobody would have argued its classifications.
I really enjoyed Chinatown. Jack Nicholson did an excellent job playing Jake Gittes and got me vested in a story that could have bored me to tears if not executed just right. Too many melodramas rely so much on their characters being over the top that they neglect to give them depth and make them interesting and make the audience care about the same things they care about. This is where Chinatown really succeeds. The dialog was overdone and outside of the remembered film closure, unforgettable, however the characters throughout make this film legendary.
Visually, Chinatown looks amazing. It doesn't physically look like your prototypical noir film because there are so many bright scenes, but the mood is there even when the contrast is not. The lighting does not prevent this film from feeling dark throughout.
Upon the film's conclusion, my first thought was that I needed to watch it again. I know I missed subtleties and that my first viewing was only a primer to prepare myself for the second go around. It's easy to see why Chinatown is always on best films of all-time lists. It doesn't disappoint.