Review of Black Dahlia (2006) by Mike M — 25 Apr 2013

Sure, it's a case of style over substance and the great cast don't really deliver like they should. That said, it's a helluva stylish one- DePalma shows his genius with this I think. For me, there was definitely some memorable scenes. It's not particularly smart in the end- the plot plays out like a bad book and the good dialogue becomes dull thanks to the performances. It's definitely a mixed bag but I think DePalma's vision here is fairly fascinating so much so that I do recommend watching this, even if it may disappoint you as a whole.

Fiona Shaw's performance is worth a mention while I remember- in a sea of deadpan she managed to stand out and give powerful performances in the few scenes she was in.

Anyway, the plot is pretty dire- I managed to care till the end but I wish I hadn't, it wasn't worthwhile. There's so many promising aspects and virtually none of them get off of their feet- it felt like a vanity project for most of the acting talent involved and I didn't feel any real engagement from them. It really is DePalma's vision alone that stands out for me but it is so intriguing and sometimes great to watch that, for me anyway, I can overlook the film's faults at least enough to give it a fresh rating. It's sense of time and place and creation of atmosphere within the genre is strong and had it not been for the bad plot, there could have been something genuinely eerie about this, the subject deserved more in that sense.