Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown..

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2006)

Roman Polanski's neo-noir "Chinatown" presents a nihilistic outlook on mankind. A cynical and detached private detective (specialist in extramarital affairs) deals with what seems a typical adultery case, which quickly turns to a complex affair that includes murder, political corruption, financial scandals, destroyed families and so on. The bleakness is pretty impressive.
The detective himself ain't doing much better, unable to define between right and wrong, and also repeating the same mistakes he made in the past when he served in the police-force in Chinatown. And so it is, the ending brings him back to Chinatown, where his actions damn the people he's supposed to protect. However, it's his detachment which dominates; a cowardly submission to fate; a depression.
The ending is great, aided by a moody jazzy soundtrack. On the downside, the plot at times seems forced, just so that Polanski gets his points across. But a tight brooding thriller all the same.