Review of Chinatown (1974) by John M — 13 Sep 2017

A mature masterpiece. What starts off as a simple fidelity investigation quickly spirals into an all-out conspiracy involving corruption and water distribution for private detective J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson).

I initially watched this when I was younger and thought it was okay, but I wasn't old enough to fully appreciate it. I got so much more out of it this time around, now that I'm the appropriate age to enjoy it.

You can say what you will about Roman Polanski's personal life, but the one thing you can't argue with is the fact that he makes damn fine movies and is more than a capable director. It's a very exciting piece with noir elements, with the only thing to suggest otherwise is that most of the events here occur dayside.

Jack Nicholson gives a really dominating performance as Jake; everywhere he goes, he's always stirring up a hornet's nest, rubbing people the wrong way and has a smart-ass comeback for anybody who hinders his investigation.

It's so interesting just to see him do his job and how he handles himself, and it's always engaging, as there are plenty of twists and turns to his investigation. This is a really good mystery story, it's remarkably well put together, and it still holds up today, almost 40 years later.