Great look, great picture

Rating: 10/10 (30 December 2013)

Jack Nicholson plays private investigator J.J. Gittes. The time is 1937 and the place is Los Angeles. Gettis specializes in infidelity cases. Most of his clients seem to be ordinary folk, but one day a woman shows up who purports to be Mrs. Hollis Mulwray, the wife of the chief engineer of the Los Angeles Water and Power department, and things get complicated and interesting from there.
The story has the trappings of a film noir, but it separates itself from that genre in several ways. For one thing it is in color. The use of a muted color palette creates a sense of the times. The depiction of 1930s Los Angeles is done well enough to have convinced me of its authenticity--the cars, houses, and dress seem to be right. I particularly liked the appearance of a pristine Social Security card in a wallet, 1937 being the first year of the issuance of such cards. Jerry Goldsmith's score is notable, accentuating the tense scenes without being intrusive. The main theme sets a plaintive note that had me longing for the past. The movie is so fixed in the era it depicts that it should be timeless in its appeal.
Another thing that sets this movie apart from the classic film noir is having Gittes being well dressed and polite, not displaying the hard core cynicism typical of such characters. He also shows vulnerabilities that hard-boiled PIs usually do not have. And his business is doing well enough to have two employees he refers to as his "operatives."
Nicholson is pretty much in every scene and we see the whole movie from his viewpoint. It's hard to imagine a more perfect actor for this part; Nicholson's performance is a pure delight to watch. Pretty much the same can be said for Faye Dunaway as Mrs. Mulwray. The whole cast is top notch. The story unfolds seamlessly just feeding us enough information to keep our interest, but close attention must be paid. We are left discovering the facts along with Gittes.
I saw this in its original release, but the Blu-Ray DVD has left a more lasting impression on me than my original viewing. Full use is made of filming in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, creating a sense of ease and openness. The DVD has lots of extras filmed in 2009: a full feature commentary by screenwriter Robert Towne, interviews with Nicholson and Polanski, a history of the Los Angeles water supply (that I found surprisingly interesting), and an appreciation short that had various people commenting on their reactions to the movie. Polanski commented that he ranks "Chinatown" as his second best work, being edged out by "The Pianist."
I can't find anything negative to say about this movie.