Chinatown

Genre: mystery
Director: Roman Polanski
Release: 1974
Studio: Paramount Pictures, Long Road Productions et al. – Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.8/10


Like Water Under The Bridge


Los Angeles, circa 1932. When private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is hired by Mrs. Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) to shadow her husband Hollis (Darrell Zwerling), he goes about his business like any other gumshoe. When he finds Hollis with a young girl, however, his investigation turns into something he neither expected nor relishes. With John Huston (Noah Cross), Perry Lopez (Escobar) and John Hillerman (Yelburton). Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

You can often gauge a movie’s overall quality by its musical theme and, in CHINATOWN’s case, the opening trumpet melody played in a laid-back West Coast style captures all the elegance and mysterious attraction of this matchless movie. Illusion is another important aspect of Roman Polanski’s taut drama. In his investigation, Jake will face baffling events, untruths, interference and even a very pointed knife wielded by Polanski himself in a memorable cameo. Overall, CHINATOWN spotlights the City of Angels’ nefarious reputation, like other films that have depicted it as a paradise for crooks and devils (STRANGE DAYS and THE CHANGELING, for example). This is as far as I’ll go in describing the plot… anything more and I’d ruin it for you.

Are there any weaknesses in CHINATOWN? Try as I may, I can’t find any. This classic film is graced with a marvelous cast (it would be unfair to single out one actor or another), a masterful screenplay by Robert Towne, rich period detail and superb cinematography. Yes, this film is perfect, from its first frames to its powerful climax.

A winner of four Golden Globes but only one Oscar (screenplay) out of eleven nominations, CHINATOWN deserved better when it came out but, then again, we all do in life. At one point in the picture, you will hear Jake remark that ‘Sometimes you're better off not knowing.’ This time around, you have no choice. You must see CHINATOWN.


MBiS

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