[3FM] Chinatown (1974)

SPOILERS AHEAD

For me, one of the greatest movies of all time. It moves at its own pace, slow, hypnotizing. It's a neo-noir mystery film that uses detective thriller tropes, political drama (with the water thing) and some shots of action to actually talk about some themes much more deeper and universal: power and its corrupting consequences (in the figure of Noah Cross); the human ability to do absolutely horrifying things, and not feel remorse or repentance (as Noah Cross said: "I don't blame myself. You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and right place, they're capable of anything." talking about his rape of his own daughter which cause her to get pregnant and run away with the child), and finally, how powerful people corrupt the system to let these horrifying things happen and themselves to go untouched. If doesn't matter if you kill someone, if you rape someone, if you are diverging water to irrigate some place where your friends illegally bough cheap land which will now be worth millions; as long as you have money and power, you can get away with it.

Why are looking at me like that? Forget it Jake, It's Chinatown.

SPOILERS AHEAD

For me, one of the greatest movies of all time. It moves at its own pace, slow, hypnotizing. It's a neo-noir mystery film that uses detective thriller tropes, political drama (with the water thing) and some shots of action to actually talk about some themes much more deeper and universal: power and its corrupting consequences (in the figure of Noah Cross); the human ability to do absolutely horrifying things, and not feel remorse or repentance (as Noah Cross said: "I don't blame myself. You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and right place, they're capable of anything." talking about his rape of his own daughter which cause her to get pregnant and run away with the child), and finally, how powerful people corrupt the system to let these horrifying things happen and themselves to go untouched. If doesn't matter if you kill someone, if you rape someone, if you are diverging water to irrigate some place where your friends illegally bough cheap land which will now be worth millions; as long as you have money and power, you can get away with it.

Why are looking at me like that? Forget it Jake, It's Chinatown.

Chinatown (1974)

Drama, Mystery, Thriller [USA:R, 2 h 10 min]
Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez
Director: Roman Polanski

IMDb rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8.2/10 (232,729 votes)

In 1937 Los Angeles, private detective J.J. Gittes is hired by a woman to investigate whether her husband is having an affair. The husband, Hollis Mulwray, is the chief water engineer for the city of Los Angeles. Soon after Gittes delivers the photos that seem to confirm her suspicions, he meets the man's real wife and, intrigued, investigates further. Then Hollis Mulwray turns up dead. (IMDb)

Critical reception:

Vincent Canby of The New York Times was not impressed with the screenplay as compared to the film's predecessors, saying: "Mr. Polanski and Mr. Towne have attempted nothing so witty and entertaining, being content instead to make a competently stylish, more or less thirties-ish movie that continually made me wish I were back seeing The Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep", but noted Nicholson's performance, calling it the film's "major contribution to the genre". (Wikipedia)

More info at IMDb, Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Netflix, Wikidata.
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Chinatown (1974)

Drama, Mystery, Thriller [USA:R, 2 h 10 min]
Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez
Director: Roman Polanski

IMDb rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8.2/10 (232,729 votes)

In 1937 Los Angeles, private detective J.J. Gittes is hired by a woman to investigate whether her husband is having an affair. The husband, Hollis Mulwray, is the chief water engineer for the city of Los Angeles. Soon after Gittes delivers the photos that seem to confirm her suspicions, he meets the man's real wife and, intrigued, investigates further. Then Hollis Mulwray turns up dead. (IMDb)

Critical reception:

Vincent Canby of The New York Times was not impressed with the screenplay as compared to the film's predecessors, saying: "Mr. Polanski and Mr. Towne have attempted nothing so witty and entertaining, being content instead to make a competently stylish, more or less thirties-ish movie that continually made me wish I were back seeing The Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep", but noted Nicholson's performance, calling it the film's "major contribution to the genre". (Wikipedia)

More info at IMDb, Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Netflix, Wikidata.
I am a bot. Send me feedback. Data sources and other information.