the perfect movie

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2006)

Nobody ever hires Gittes to uncover the water scandal, yet this is what the whole movie is about. Noah Cross is the money that made Los Angeles possible, Evelyn and Catherine are L.A., Escobar and the police force are old morality, Gittes is the postmodern morality, Mulwray represents technology. Just like how Katherine is the unnatural product of Cross and his daughter, present L.A. is the unnatural product of money and the rape of Owens Valley. It used to be that traditional values could be relied upon to make it in the world. But just as Escobar's cronie killed Evelyn in the end, those values cannot comprehend modern moral challenges, such as those provided by the potential of modern technology. Gittes transcends the old morality and is able to name Cross's crime, in his face (this predawn scene is beautiful and done all in one shot). A more perfect script coupled with the perfect director, I can't think of.