Just find the girl, Mr. Gittes.

Rating: 10/10 (1 April 2008)

Chinatown is not so much a movie as it is an experience. To date, it is probably my favorite film. I've always enjoyed film noir, especially the old Bogart films. Chinatown draws strongly from that tradition, but comes from a European director's (Polanski) perspective. The film is highly stylized and seems to draw the classic old detective formula perfectly into the downbeat, sometimes depressing, but artistic style of the 1970s.
The story is that Jake Gittes (Nicholson) is an LA private investigator hired by Mrs. Evelyn Mulwray to investigate whether her husband, the head of Water and Power for the city, is having an affair. Mulwray is already the subject of controversy due to his reluctance to build a new dam during a city water shortage. After Gittes uncovers what appears to be an affair, the real Mrs. Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) comes forward and sues Gittes. Gittes quickly tries to persuade her that he was set up and wants to warn Mulwray. However, before he can do so, Mulwray is found dead at a reservoir. Mrs. Mulwray hires Gittes to investigate her husband's death after he convinces her that her husband was murdered.
I really enjoyed the interplay between the actors. Nicholson and Dunaway play very well off of each other, but John Huston, who plays Noah Cross, gives a fantastic performance. Mr. Cross is Evelyn's father who hires Gittes to find Mulwray's girlfriend. Huston walks a fine line perfectly of being both charming and brutally dangerous at the same time. Throughout the film, Gittes has to evade goons trying to do him some harm over his investigation into Mulwray's murder and police Lieutentant Escobar (Perry Lopez) who he worked with in Chinatown. Escobar's demeanor towards Gittes definitely indicates that Gittes has a bad past. I also really enjoyed Roman Polanski's cameo as a knife wielding thug, which is a brief but memorable appearance for Gittes.
The style of the film adds greatly to its effectiveness. Rather than use voice-over narration, as is often done in detective films, the audience discovers clues at the same time Gittes does. In addition, the richness of the plot keeps the viewer guessing, but does not get distracting as some detective films would. However, to really understand the title, you have to watch the whole film.
This film was really a sleeper for everyone involved. Roman Polanski (director), Robert Towne (writer), and Robert Evans (producer) had prior to its release believed they had a colossal flop. However, the film came together beautifully. The cast was excellent, from the lead roles down to the extras. The direction was great and the story, although altered by Polanski from the original script, really put emphasized the downbeat nature of the subject material.
This is a must watch for anyone.