Roman Polanski's Caustic Neo-Noir is So Compelling that "You Can't Forget It"!

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 2015)

It's Los Angeles, 1937. Jack Nicholson's private detective Jake J. Gittes is not a primal masculine archetype, but rather a complicated protagonist. Far from cool and collected, he is simply self- possessed, with a sense of control that's highly illusory and much of the film pivots on undercutting his misplaced self-confidence. The film immediately establishes his less-than-ideal persona via his work snapping pictures of adulterous spouses, a lowbrow form of detective work that is typically beneath the more admirable private eyes. He's looked down on by the law and treated as something of a sordid but necessary evil by his clients, but Jake realizes that's just how the game is played. Soon enough, though, one of those clients, a mysterious woman named Mrs. Evelyn Mulwray finds a way to use Jake's scurrilous reputation to set him up for a fall. His ensuing attempts to clear his name put him on the trail of a case that's bigger, more complex and wide-ranging than anything he's used to, coming up with more rot than he bargained for. One that goes, as they say, all the way to the top!
A convoluted mystery that begins with a visit from a femme-fatale, an ironclad cynical detective with a code of honor, and a spider- like villain weaving a web at the center of the story are all familiar elements of a hard-boiled detective film. But trust Roman Polanski to make disillusionment seductive and resurrect the almost dead format! What he does so brilliantly in Chinatown is import the soul-sick paranoia of 1930s Los Angeles into its depiction: the eponymous Chinatown is less of a physical presence than a state of mind - it's a lurid fantasy, an idea that hovers constantly around the fringes of the movie making it an ultimately intangible maelstrom of deceit, regret and confusion in which the only thing you can be sure of is that everything you know is - to one degree or another - wrong. Robert Towne's labyrinthine script keeps the proceedings thrilling, humorous and disturbing at the same time, pepped up greatly by the crackling dialogues.
The film also boasts career best turns from its star-cast led by Jack Nicholson, who is absolutely charismatic as Jake Gittes, as we find ourselves solve the mystery alongside him as he follows lead after lead through a labyrinth of sticky situations. His Gittes is a layered character and Nicholson makes his depth visible to the audience. Faye Dunaway's vulnerability constantly tempts us with the notion that she is the victim, rather than the villain, in a performance that still has the power to shock. Outright villainy is instead embodied by Noah Cross, an incredibly vile portrayal by John Huston. He gives Noah a false air of courtly manners that, if anything, only adds to the character's sense of debauchery.
Notoriously bleak, yet utterly compelling, Chinatown remains a magnificent dissection of corruption right up to its enigmatic finale. The brute force of its ugly truth is the heart of the film's artistry, and it sticks with us. And it might be just a state of mind, but Chinatown still retains the power to bruise and scar to this day.