Review of Chinatown (1974) by Melvin W — 29 Dec 2011

Jake Gittes: But, Mrs. Mulwray, I goddamn near lost my nose. And I like it. I like breathing through it. And I still think you're hiding something. .

Chinatown is a must watch film if you consider yourself a film buff. It is one of those classics that deserves all the praise it has gotten. Everything that makes a film great is at work here. There's a great director, Roman Polanski, who knows when to be patient with a story, but also knows when to pick up the pace a little bit. There's a great performance from both the leading actor, Jack Nicholson, and the leading actress, Faye Dunaway. The plot is engaging and at times suspenseful. This is one of the best detective stories you can watch.

Jack Nicholson plays Jake, a private detective. One day a woman comes into his office and tells him she wants him to investigate her husband because she thinks he is having an affair. Her husband just happens to be the builder of Los Angeles' water supply system, and Los Angeles is in the middle of a bad drought. Well it turns out that the person who hired him wasn't actually the wife, and was hired to do it. After Hollis is killed, Jake begins to think there is something more going on than what meets the eye.

Before watching this I had a belief that I wouldn't like it as much as I do Rosemary's Baby; Roman Polanski's horror masterpiece, despite this being considered Polanski's best. After watching Chinatown, I must say, I still like Rosemary's Baby more. That isn't a nock on this film at all. It just goes to show how great Polanski is. Think what you want of him, but when it comes to making movies, he is a genius. I loved his cameo in the film too.

Chinatown is an amazing story of corruption and a great noir. Nicholson gives a tremendous performance, as he always did. Faye Dunaway is absolutely gorgeous and has a great screen presence. Nicholson and Dunaway have amazing chemistry when on the screen together. They make the movie worth watching just to see them together. Everything else(Polanski, wonderful cinematography, and a great score) are gravy.

Walsh: Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown. .