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Diane Ladd, Faye Dunaway, Jack Nicholson

A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.

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92% liked it

24,084 ratings

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100% liked it

46 critics

R, 2 hrs. 10 min.

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Release Date: January 1, 1974

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DVD Release Date: November 23, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (4,287)

  • mrpopcorn
    October 22, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown!"

    A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.

    REVIEW

    "Chinatown" is an excellent ...( read more)film that has become a true American classic since it was initially released in 1974. Jack Nicholson (Oscar-nominated) stars as a private investigator who unwittingly becomes entangled in a strange case that is so complex and deep that his involvement could be fatal. Robert Towne's Oscar-winning screenplay is multi-layered and smart, as is Roman Polanski's amazing direction. A great achievement in the cinema that stands very tall against other films from the 1970s and from any decade for that matter.
  • SirPant
    September 18, 2009
    SirPant
    I'm not Roman Polanski's biggest fan but Chinatown is an amazing film. Dunaway and Nicholson's performances are brilliant and they have a unique and electric on screen chemistry. This is an absolute masterpiece, highly recommended!
  • susanriley
    June 4, 2009
    susanriley
    Most interesting when you consider the context of this film historically. This film added a new depth and intrigue to the film noir genre leading the way for such greats as LA Confidential.
  • ohagankieran
    January 26, 2009
    ohagankieran
    Fiendish, perplexing noir with a killer, bitter twist. Somehow both a product of the Movie Brat '70s and also strangely timeless, feeling like it belongs in the genres heyday.
  • QueenCityFilms
    January 3, 2009
    QueenCityFilms
    Nicholson kicks ass...his finest role. Polanski shines nicely here.
  • dipa89
    November 4, 2009
    dipa89

  • lopcar1993
    November 3, 2009
    lopcar1993
    When noir was first created in the 40's, it was the biggest thing to hit films ever. It created a new style of film making the likes of which no one had ever seen before. it broke new ground in cinematography and set the benchmark for crime films of that era. Well the 4...( read more)0's and 50's ended and the noir genre fell off the earth, until 1974 when a director named Roman Polanski decided he wanted to make a period piece mystery film centered in and around Los Angeles. And his film happened to just be named, Chinatown.





    When I was younger I never heard of Roman Polanski's Chinatown, I didn't hear of it until I was fifteen and even then it took me a year to see it. And now that I have I'm glad I did, Chinatown was everything a noir fan or a fan of movies could hope for;It's brilliant, extremely well acted, complex and at sometimes dark. It's one of the most well made and most brilliant Neo-Noir I've ever seen since L.A. Confidential, this film get's everything right and it plays out well but the only thing that it get's wrong is the pace. The pace is so slow in the first two acts nut after the third kicks in you've got some serious intrigue and mystery. But all in all this film is nothing short of breathtaking and intriguing, It's the kind of movie that once your in. Your in.




    Jack Nicholson turns in a fantastic performance as the jaded P.I. hired to crack this case, he is amazing to watch onscreen and he gives such a mysterious and dark presence to an otherwise standard character. Faye Dunaway is also fantastic in this, she plays the mysterious lover of J.J. Gitties and in the film you don't know who she really is and what she really wants. Or even if she can be trusted. But none the less the cast does utterly fantastic here they bring a standard Noir film out of oblivion and turn it into a a movie experience that will blow you away.





    While Chinatown did set the bar for Neo-Noir's it also had the bad misfortune of being far too boring for it's own good. But It makes that up with it's inguinal storyline and amazing performances which will more than satisfy any fan of Noir or Nicholson, or film for that matter. All in all Chinatown is one case you want in on.
  • rajiv23gooners
    November 1, 2009
    rajiv23gooners
    very intense film noir with a nice and smart dialogues, painful twist, and disappointing yet satisfactory ending.,
    what i love about polanski's film is that they can drag us to the story without realizing the film is going to an end..
  • ElCochran90
    October 20, 2009
    ElCochran90
    "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."



    Chinatown (1974)


    Director: Roman Polanski
    Country: United States of America
    Genre: Mystery / Thriller
    Length: 131 minutes

    ...( read more)/albums/ww125/ElCochran90/Decorated%20images/?action=view¤t=Chinatown-Jakewithbinoculars.jpg" target="_blank">Photobucket

    Chinatown is the last film that master Roman Polanski filmed in the U.S., a fact that would surely mean he would divide audiences once more with his upcoming French thriller Le Locataire (1976), the last chapter of the loose trilogy concerning the horrors faced by apartment duelers. More than being one of the most brilliant, brutal, realistic and undeniably stylish crime films ever made in cinema history, it is an intentional direct homage to the film-noir genre that was the filmmaking branch originator of several masterpieces mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 40's and 50's. This is the first time Polanski attempts to direct a strictly crime film with no surrealistic elements and psychological horror involved, which is a very daring ambition to achieve. Besides directing one of the best films of the year, Chinatown is a masterpiece which title is able to speak for itself thanks to its originality and powerful brilliance, becoming a timeless work of art that has effectively stood the test of time.

    Private detective J.J. Gittes is about to unravel a giant and complex conspiracy web full of violence, lies, deceit, murder, municipal corruption and deceptions throughout related to the watter supply when a woman who is pretending to be Evelyn Mulwray, the wife of the city's water supply system builder named Hollis, hires him under the suspicion of Hollis having an affair. Later on, the real Evelyn Mulwray appears in Gittes' office threatening him to sue him if he doesn't drop the case, but when Mr. Mulwray is found dead, he refuses to drop it and inevitably gets deeper into an endless plot of madness. The film received 11 Academy Award nominations for Best Writing, Original Screenplay, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, Best Sound, Best Director and Best Picture, winning only the first award.

    The sole brilliance of Chinatown is naturally originated from the extraordinarily developed screenplay by Robert Towne and Roman Polanski, and the shocking power of the several unparalleled performances this film proudly posseses. What the direction achieved is to make the story relentless and memorable. Interestingly enough, Jack Nicholson's character is not very different from the usual cold-blooded characters he has portrayed throughout his filmic career, consequently giving away what would be his best leading performance if it wouldn't be because of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Thanks to the tone of his voice, his scary and cold facial expressions and his overall reactions, the private detective J.J. Gittes gains cinematic life and a very strong presence when being on screen, making his one-liners as sarcastic as possible and transforming a lame joke into a hilarious one thanks to the way he tells it. Faye Dunaway plays a physically weak, yet morally strong woman that is directly affected by the unstoppable outcomes of the surrounding events, finding partial comfort and protection through Gittes, but at the same time not knowing how and when should she confess several truths she hides under her persona or not.

    The rest of the characters play the role of a motor for the plot's unexpected and mysterious development. Polanski had in mind both the darkness of a classic film-noir and what a new and more modern audience of the 70's demanded. The result is a brilliant crime film with enough character development and an adequate pace so it can provide much more than just two hours of plain entertainment, excluding the opening and the closing credits. Therefore, it isn't shy at portraying neither graphic violence nor sexual content, including its beautifully stereotypical cliches.

    I want to be free at expressing my amazement concerning the technical aspects. The cinematography, the sound and the editing are extraordinary; they actually play a very particular role at strengthening the whole style and power of Chinatown. No matter how small the city is, it actually feels like if the streets and the very water supply system were living characters, when they actually are inert. The aforementioned details are deliciously sweetened by a good soundtrack and a classic musical theme.

    Chinatown goes beyond the definition of its own genre. It is a merciless and relentless brilliant masterwork and one of the best definitions of cinema available, without exaggerating. With unforgettable quotes, a hard-to-top story and definitely an extraordinary ending, a scene that caused controversy for some people and disappointment for others, it is a film that has surpassed the expectations of even the actuality audience. In case you cannot see the brilliance of the film or are not interested in seeing it, believe me when I say that you're dumber than you think I think you are.

    95/100
  • xobabygreekox
    October 19, 2009
    xobabygreekox
    Good movie :) One thing I liked was the area and Jack Nicholson was hot :O lol

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Critic Reviews

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

[Nicholson's] performance is key in keeping Chinatown from becoming just a genre crime picture--that, and a Robert Towne screenplay that evokes an older Los Angeles. full review

View more Chinatown reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • freetofinn
    March 30, 2007
    freetofinn
    This film is nothing less than extraordinary! It has the best work of Jack's career!
  • panchof28
    September 24, 2006
    panchof28
    wow.. this one is excellent... maybe a little slow but there are some really impressive scenes
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