Review of Chinatown (1974) by Sumit S — 28 May 2013

Roman Polanski's Chinatown is an excellent film noir and is one of the greatest films ever put on screen. Everything is just so damn good in this movie because everything is done to perfection. To me the best thing about this movie is Robert Towne's script.

Towne's script is one of the best written scripts in the history of cinema because it's just so brilliant. The film's story is one of the greatest ever told, it is a fantastic mystery that had me guessing throughout the entire film and as it went on it kept surprising me.

This film can also be a drama and the dramatic scenes in this film are so raw and powerful, it's just truly incredible how spectacular this script is. Towne's script also has some sharp and clever dialogue that sounds so cool coming out of the actors mouth (mainly Nicholson's character).

Roman Polanski does a magnificent job bringing Towne's script to life because he films the movie as if it were a film noir in the 40s and 50s and is just added something extra to the film. Well, I guess he would have to shoot it that way since this is a film noir.

The performances are all great but everyone knows that the standout performance here is from Jack Nicholson. Nicholson just knocks it out of the park because you truly believe he is his character. Also great in this movie is the beautiful Faye Dunaway who plays a very mysterious woman.

Another thing that is truly amazing in this movie is the set designs and costume designs, this film takes place in the 30s and the set/costume designs truly capture the look of the L.A. in the 30s. Also capturing that 30s feeling is Jerry Goldsmith's score which is astonishing.

Overall Chinatown is a classic film that everyone should see at one point in there life.