adam_pittavino Chinatown is undoubtedly one of the finest films to emerge from the 1970's, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunnaway, Roman Polanski has delivered a Noir masterpiece for the ages. Detective Jake Gittes, played by Nicholson, is at a glance, your average private eye snoop. He's sneering, untrustworthy and his reputation in and around Los Angeles is much worse. LA is in the midst of a severe drought, and Gittes, during one of his daily endeavours, has uncovered sinister activity by the Department of Water & Power that has the company reaping unfair financial rewards at the cost of unsuspecting landowners. Then there is the mysterious wealthy socialite, Evelyn Mulwray, played by Faye Dunaway, that comes to Gittes for help, but never quite reveals the full length of her troubles. She's elusive, seductive and tangled up in Chinatowns puzzle more than what she's willing to own up to. The drought of course is public knowledge, but when the Boss of Water & Power turns up dead in a reservoir, the LA community soon learn that foul play runs far beyond the boardroom. One of Chinatown's charms is the audience never knows more than Gittes at that certain point. Our detective is never one step ahead, and neither is the audience. Chinatown is not only a noir mystery film, but it's a superior thriller that keeps the viewer deeply involved from the start, to its tragic end.

theresamgill What we have here today is truly a powerhouse of a film. Chinatown is a drama about a private investigator Jake (Jack Nicholson) who gets hired by a Mrs. Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) because she believes her husband is having an affair. Jake quickly gets to work, but when Mr. Mulwray turns up dead and Evelyn not possibly actually being Evelyn, the movie starts messing with you in the best possible way. Before I discuss anything further, I have to talk about the script. It's truly amazing just how good the writing is. It kills me not to discuss any spoilers, and I won't, but you learn just the right amount of details from every scene as the depth to the complexity of the story and the characters slowly unwinds in metaphorical wonder. If there aren't classes that already do this, then scriptwriting classes should always point to this movie when discussing how to essentially write a perfect script. No joke, as experienced of a writer I am, this script is almost as well-written as these reviews. Anyways, Roman Polanski directs this film, and one of his most notable contributions is the tone. The dude had a rough past, especially with where they shot the film, and admittedly this is a formula that does not equal out to a rainbow and smiles kind of movie. And this has got to be the most normal character Jack Nicholson has ever played, and the best thing to say is that it's just a joy to watch an actor take the protagonist and make it his own. The supporting cast shines-I shouldn't even have to say it, but this obviously includes the brilliantly complex performance from Faye Dunaway. Obviously, the most famous line is the one I reference in the title; however, that's not actually my favorite line of the film. What's so much fun is that I actually can't tell you what it is because it'd be too much of a spoiler, so all I will say is that the line is a big reveal I did not by any means expect in the latter half of the movie. It's some deep subject matter, and I say with a smirk that you have to watch the film to understand what I'm talking about. I understand that some movies I review and recommend will not exactly put you in a good mood after watching them... And yeah, this movie isn't different. But if you're prepared for a slow-burner that will shock and entertain you (but not put a smile on your face), then watch Chinatown. Well, that's all from me. You can find this review and dozens of others at gillipediamoviereviews.blogspot.com

betty dalton Every movie lover knows about the brilliance of Roman Polanski's "Chinatown". If you are reading these reviews you havent seen it yet, which positions you in a place at the gates of heaven. You have not entered heaven yet, but you will once you decide to walk through the gates and watch "Chinatown". I am rather jealous of you, because the first time is special, although the great thing about movies is, that the most wonderful stories CAN be relived time and again. "Chinatown¨ is up there with the all time greatest movies of american cinema history. The absolute pinnacle of genius.That must be enough praise to get you curious. My real advice would be not to read any further. Not my review, nor anyone elses. I just wanted to make sure with my first paragraph that you wont make the unforgivable mistake of passing this movie by. You havent lived without having seen it...The story takes place in L.A. in the thirties, in the middle of a period of drought there is a big conflict about how to get more water to the city. A previous water reservoir had collapsed and killed 500 innocent L.A. citizens and now they plan to built another one with the same faults that were present in the earlier disaster. Enter Jack Nicholson as a private investigator who at first gets an assignment that seemingly has nothing to do at all with this disaster which cost so many people's lives. He just has to research if a husband is cheating on his wife. What seems an innocent and tedious job, soon becomes a life threatening case, when Jack Nicholson finds out more than he is supposed to know about the powers that be, that want to build this risky dam, come hell or high water...The story truly is very intelligent, suspenseful and emotionally devastating and has won many awards. The number of awards is mindboggling so I wont start listing them here, but it suffices to say that everything, and I truly mean everything, could be and has been awarded about this movie. I just want to restrain myself, in order to limit the length of this review. No I cant. I just GOT TO mention everything. I'll keep it "short". The acting. Let's start with that. Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway and John Huston truly play the roles of their lives. Images so pure and intense that I can see them by just mentioning the name "Chinatown". The photography by John A. Alonzo (Scarface) is breathtaking. Almost every scene is shot in the magic hours, when the sun rises or sets and delivers shadows and golden colors that only last for some 30 minutes every day. All the images are bathing in this glow of early sunset. Almost every scene could be a poster, that is how gorgeous the photography is. Finally the music score by Jerry Goldsmith, who is a music genius. With a minimum of instruments he creates another "leading role", because his music is intertwined with the heart of this movie. Yes, his music score is so powerful and sublime that it is unimaginable to think of "Chinatown" without these dissonant piano string chords and gorgeous dreamlike trumpet themes. Jerry Goldsmith's music scores are even being used after his passing, every year till this very day, movies are released with themes from earlier scores by this brilliant composer.In the end we have to thank Director Roman Polanski for his genius in bringing all these talents together and creating something which will be seen by generations to come. In a time capsule of movie history Roman Polanski's masterpiece will shine as a star among the very greatest that american cinema has ever achieved.

gab-14712 Over the years, people have called Chinatown one of the best movies ever. I don't quite agree with that statement, but there is no denying that the movie is a masterpiece. I may not find it one of the best films all-time, but I do find it as one of the best films of 1974. This noir film hearkens back to the days where similar films were produced left and right. But starting from the 1960's, this genre slowly began to fade away. The film may come across as really taking its time to tell the story, but the thriller has lots of tension that builds up to its climatic ending. This film brought public awareness to some issues people may not have really known about. Water is a commodity for human survival and whoever controls the water, controls the money. This movie is a complex series of events surrounding the control of water and that people can die over this issue. Ah, the wonders of being a human being! The movie is a complicated follow, so don't lose yourself in any train of thought, or you might lose what will happen plot-wise. Boasting one of cinema's all-time greatest screenplays by Robert Towne and a powerful lead performance by Jack Nicholson, you are in for a fantastic time.As I mentioned briefly, the film's plot can be complex as the film will turn down a completely different path in a heartbeat. Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a private investigator who specializes in matrimonial affairs. One day, he gets a visit from a woman claiming to be Evelyn Mulwray. She tells Jake that her husband is cheating on her and she would like Jake to investigate her claims. He does his job by taking photographs of him and he catches him with another woman. That ensues a scandal and Gittes is confronted by the real Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway). When the husband shows up dead, Gittes is led deeper and deeper in a web of deceit, lies, and murder.This movie is given its voice by a variety of elements such as Robert Towne's fantastic screenplay or Roman Polanksi's visionary directing style. But let's not forget about the wonderful performances including the tour de force performance by screen legend, Jack Nicholson. Nicholson's performance is nothing short of excellent as he portrays Jake Gittes. I loved how the movie gave in-depth characterization to this character. Gittes may not be the nicest man in the world, but he's a man of honor and honesty. The movie is all about lies and that forms a rather bleak mental state for Gittes. All we wants to do is find the truth and move on, but that seems impossible to do with all the lies and murder. Nicholson was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, and some might say he should have won. Who can forget that scene at the river bed where he is slashed in the nose by this random creep. Faye Dunaway also delivers an amazing performance. On the outside her character makes you believe she is good, but she has some fishy motives about her. Gittes falls in love with her, but he can't take her sneaky lies. Then we have the performance of John Huston, the legendary director who plays Evelyn's father. His character, Noah Cross is the antagonist of the film one would say as he wants to use his wealth to control the water. That dinner scene between Noah and Jake is quite something. Noah and his mean, beady eyes are put to good use.This film was directed by Roman Polanski, before he was extradited to Europe and could only make films there. This movie has him returning back to the director's chair, only a few years after the brutal murder of his wife and unborn child. I loved his sense of direction and he really captured the noir feeling you would find in the films of the 1940's. His conflict with the screenwriter Robert Towne became somewhat famous. Towne had the film end with a happy ending, but Polanksi went against that. The ending is not a happy one as we get some unfortunate deaths from the wrong people, but it was an effective ending nonetheless. No matter what, Robert Towne written one of the best screenplays of all time and that will endure for many, many years into our future.Even though Chinatown is a fictional movie, it's based of the Los Angeles water grab of 1908. This is a city that formed in a desert and it should be impossible for water to exist, which makes the control of the water ever more so fundamental. Towne did a great job adding his own 1930's spin to the story. This movie is undeniably a great film. The pace crawls at times, but the content of the story kept me captivated. This is not an action thriller, but it's one of those slow-burn thrillers focused on telling a top-rate story. The film fires on all cylinders because of it's wonderful acting and solid direction. But we also have a great but sad, trumpet-infused score from Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography from John A. Alonzo that captures the L.A of old in a very effective way. Let's not forget about the award-winning screenplay from Robert Towne. Nominated for 11 Oscars, this film is worth a watch. This is a fantastic thriller that relies upon excellent storytelling.My Grade: A-