A classic that lives up to its status

Rating: 8/10 (23 March 2008)

The problem with these classic movies is that seeing them for the first time 30 years after the fact, once their classic status has had plenty of time to ferment can often be a slightly deflating experience. After all, there's very few movies that can live up to that kind of expectation.
That in mind "Chinatown" still holds up brilliantly, by virtue of being an obvious inspiration for so much that has come since. Watching it now its easy to see its echoes rippling through hundreds of subsequent movies, from "Blade Runner" to "Brick". An old fashioned detective story and a cutting edge dramatic thriller all at once, this lives up to its reputation admirably.