Review of Black Dahlia (2006) by Ola G — 20 Sep 2008

Brian De Palmas "The Black Dahlia" has the real brutal murder of Betty Short back in 1947 as the backdrop in this adaptation of a James Ellroy novel. Two homicide cops, Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and Bucky Bleicher (Josh Hartnett) finds themselves knee deep into trying to solve the case while the plots thickens with other players and how they have different connections to the victim Betty Short.

The Betty Short murder is still unsolved today with as said a quite nasty ending. A gritty story from the backside of Hollywood. Thus, it is made for a film adaptation. Nevertheless, "The Black Dahlia" is in contrast to "L.A. Confidential" (another Ellroy filmadaptation) a mess that shoot blanks after blanks. I love the era and everything with it, but here it just fades due to the messiness.

There is nothing wrong with the cinemaphotograpy and the direction from Mr. De Palma. He is a skillful director and has shown that time after time.

The problem lies in the script. The story is not engaging, messy and the plot has subplots on subplots. The dialogue is so "lifeless" and at times performed from the actors as it is a stiff theatre play. I think the casting is so so and the acting is so so as well. Josh Hartnett is still Mr. Blankstare, Hilary Swank is well in my book terrible here, Mira Kirshner seems very unfocused and I must say I can not understand the hype over Scarlett Johansson. Her acting skills are based on some weird nervous, pouting with my lips "looking like a gigantic questionmark" structure. I think she is terrible as well in "The Black Dahlia".

I was dispointed and can only say, see "L.A. Confidential instead.