Directed by:
Roman PolańskiComposer:
Jerry GoldsmithCast:
Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Hillerman, John Huston, Perry Lopez, Burt Young, Bruce Glover, Joe Mantell, Roy Jenson, Diane Ladd, Darrell Zwerling (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Jack Nicholson is private eye Jake Gittes, living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite (Faye Dunaway) to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together for one, unforgettable night in...Chinatown. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (12)
I've heard maybe too much praise for the movie, and perhaps I'm already a bit influenced by the current state of the world, so the major revelation didn't feel that shocking to me. But it's still a great film, which Polanski guides with an incredibly sure hand to the end, and it offers no happy ending, which in this case is a good thing.
()
I have one problem with Chinatown, as deeply mysterious and conspiratorial as the story appears to be, I found it rather falsely super-clever and a bit unnecessarily drawn out in the end. But that doesn't change the fact that it works superbly as a colourful homage to film-noir, that the atmosphere is properly suffocating, the actors are excellent and that Polanski stages some of the climactic scenes in a very impressive, almost unique in its time, visual way. Rarely you’ll feel so sad that noir has disappeared from the film industry as when you watch Chinatown, a work of form that is undoubtedly perfect and beautiful...
()
Cherchez la femme. Polanski’s grasp of the excellent and well-thought out screenplay is a joy to watch. Sun-parched L.A. is stifling with a heavy and paranoid atmosphere, especially when no water comes out of the faucet. I’m not a big fan of Nicholson, but here he really is excellent and gives the hero the necessary authenticity. The crushing finale is just the icing on the cake. In the 70s this must have almost been a revolution in cinema. Bad for the glass.
()
I like Polanski’s movies. I have a weakness for noir. And for Nicholson as a young actor, when he hadn’t yet got into the habit of acting himself from various directions. Chinatown isn’t the best noir movie ever. But it certainly is one of the best. I can see just one “serious" negative. That it wasn’t filmed in black and white, as Polanski originally intended.
()
The peak of 1970s grim noir crime investigation with the grand Jack Nicholson, who – apart from delivering a standard high-quality performance – can also add another notch in his belt representing more actresses in his favorite bed. Apart from the amazing Jack and the gloomy atmosphere, it’s a standard film noir.
()
Gallery (148)
Photo © Paramount Pictures
![Chinatown - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/158/558/158558297_efea09.png)
Ads