Chinatown (1974)

Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston

Synopsis:
A PI on a routine marital infidelity case finds himself drawn into a major conspiracy.

Impressions:
This is a landmark film in neo-noir and an impressive example of film noir in general even as it subverts some of the common elements of the genre. It's a dark film with a lot of menace and intrigue. The big reveal has probably been spoiled for you, but I will say that John Huston impressively becomes one of the great monsters of cinema despite his limited screentime. This is one of the roles that really helped establish Jack Nicholson as a mainstream star and he specifically avoided any other detective roles so that people associate him only with Jake Gittes. It's a more genuine portrayal of the often dirty business of being a private detective, but it may be too ugly a scene for some viewers. For noir fans, it's worth seeing. Give it a watch.

Rating:
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