I have now seen 2 first rate Polanski films

Rating: 9/10 (6 January 2007)

Well,i never thought i'd say this,but,i have now seen 2 very good Roman Polanski movies.(the other being the brilliant"The Ninth Gate")anyway,Chinatown is a simple story of private eye Jake Gittes,who stumbles into a murder mystery.Jack Nicholson plays Gittes,in a brilliantly understated performance.Nicholson makes Gittes into a very likable character.The film has a very unique and impressive visual style.Polanski's direction is very tight and economical.everything fits and each scene has relevance to the film.This is not an action movie,but more of character study,and is also very dialogue driven. What action there is,is low key and passive.this is no criticism of the movie,at all.it is so well written that it cannot fail to hold your interest,and as director,Polanski Tties everything up neatly.Faye Dunaway also plays a prominent role in the movie,delivering a very good performance.The only thing i didn't like was the ending.i don't mean to say it was bad ending,i had just hoped it would have gone in a different direction.the screenplay was written by Robert Towne, and Polanski himself had a hand in the screenplay,but is not credited.The screenplay is responsible for a great deal of the film's success,but this is clearly a team effort.All in all,Chinatown is a well crafted movie from all involved. 8.5/10