One of the All-Time Greats

Rating: Null/10 (10 February 2012)

Chinatown (1974)
**** (out of 4)
Roman Polanski's stylish noir follows private detective J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) as he tries to solve a man's murder but he keeps getting different stories from his wife (Faye Dunaway) and her father (John Huston). Many film noir fans object to anyone calling CHINATOWN noir because their arguments include the fact that this here isn't B&W and that it was made in the 70s. Many people feel a true noir can only be B&W and come from the 40s or 50s but no matter what label you want to put on it there's no question that this is one of the greatest films of the decade. Robert Towne rightfully earned his Best Screenplay Oscar because there are very few films, past or present, that would be willing to tell the type of story told here. One of the major plot points deals with water and who would have ever thought that water would make for one of the great crime dramas? One of the key elements is the way Polanski brings this dirty world to life. There are many scumbags scattered throughout the film and while I wouldn't call the film confusing the director does manage to make you you can follow it from start to finish and he also makes sure that everything is laid out pretty well. One of the strongest points is the beautiful atmosphere created by the director and the cinematography and music score also help bring this out. There's also no question that we get some superb performances with Nicholson leading the charge. It's really amazing to sit back and see some of the excellent performances this guy gave during this period but his work here is right up there with what Bogart and Mitchum could do in the genre. Nicholson is so laid back and cool about everything that you can't help but love going on this journey with him. Dunaway has a very difficult part but she handles it just fine and plays on the same level as Nicholson. Huston gives the greatest performance of his career and even though he's only in a handful of scenes there's no doubt that once you see him here you'll never forget him. CHINATOWN is without question one of the great films of its type and it's just an example of everything going right for a movie. The screenplay, direction and performances are all top-notch and it makes for a terrific entertainment.