Chinatown Reviews and Ratings



  • August 5, 2009
    Second best film of 1974. Easily a classic film that had perfection in each aspect of the film. The acting of Nicholson, Dunaway, and Huston were great. John Huston's oscar worthy performance as an actor was probably one of best in his career. The story and direction was very goo...( read more)d. Probably Polanski's best film in his career. The film had great mystery, a couple of thrills, and a great twist.
  • July 20, 2009
    nicholson is great as a seedy detective who gets more then he expects.gritty fun. good lesson on why tou shouldn't pick your nose.
  • July 15, 2009
    The story is murky but the performances are terrific. Mixed bag for this classic.
  • June 30, 2009
    Great script and over all pace. Loved the neo-noir edge. The ending just seemed way too rushed for my taste.
  • June 29, 2009
    Nice Story-line with great visuals.
  • June 28, 2009
    Strong, twisted, dramatic, stylish; CHINATOWN is a great film in every sense of the word.

    Visually striking, very well-written and directed; expertly acted by Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston.
  • June 26, 2009
    Seen it one of my favourite films. I love this and LA confidential
  • June 22, 2009
    another fab. performance.....jack kicks ass.................
  • June 21, 2009
    One of those accidental almost masterpieces.
  • June 8, 2009
    Z roku na rok coraz bardziej lubie ten film.
  • June 8, 2009
    Noir o Hard-Boiled? Ma soprattutto che diavolo era successo a Gittes a Chinatown? Ad ogni modo Nicholson è un mostro di bravura e la parte del detective gli calza come un guanto. Gran film e buona atmosfera. Sto cominciando ad appassionarmi al genere..
  • June 4, 2009
    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.
  • June 3, 2009
    "Chinatown" contains the exact formulas to create a perfect "film-noir"(or neo-noir, as some would call films like this). First, it has a very intricate and deceptively complex plot, second, a very seedy location, third, an awkward romance, and fourth, a very flamboyant anti-hero...( read more) in the form of Jake Gittes (Perfectly played by Jack Nicholson). The story, at first is very simple, but as it progress, it slowly thickens and blows you away with startling revelations after another. Faye Dunaway is brilliant as the disturbed Evelyn Mulwray, while legendary filmmaker John Huston owned the character Noah Cross. Everything is perfect about this film, yes, it was slow at times, but giving it enough attention, as I've always said about slow-moving films, it is indeed, very rewarding. The tragic climax in Chinatown itself is very unforgettable, departing from Hollywood standards and ended the film just like how it will happen in the real world. All the emotions are poured in that 5-minute sequence, and it became, in my point of view, one of the most well-crafted climaxes I've ever witnessed. Chinatown is a place for tragedy in the cinematic universe, just like an obscure film entitled "Manila: In the Claws of Neon, it ended almost the same way as this film did, and in the same place. A very ironic thing to do, placing enormous tragedies in a bright part of a city with great folks, but however great the irony is, Polanski's "Chinatown" is a triumph in cinematic history.
  • May 29, 2009
    Takes a while to get going but the final act is worth it.
  • May 18, 2009
    Amazing evokation of L.A. in the 1930s plus intriguing, twisting plot. Polanski's finest.
  • May 14, 2009
    This is such a good movie in every way. John Huston plays pure melevolent evil here. Nicholson is wonderful as the rakish Giddes - even Dunaway is beautiful and vulnerable.And the music that plays thruout the movie is so haunting that when I hear it today it puts me right back i...( read more)n the movie. Chinatown was made in the seventies but in my opinion could easily fall into the NOIR catagory.
  • May 13, 2009
    Jack Nicholson as the private eye J.J. Gittes is a very catching concept.
  • April 28, 2009
    One of the best films to come out of Hollywood.
  • April 22, 2009
    Not a masterpiece, as some would call it, but it had an involved plot, interesting characters, steely direction, and on-the-mark acting.
  • April 13, 2009
    The best post-noir noir movie. Like The Big Sleep, the plot is very serpentine, but a pleasure to follow, with Nicholson and Dunaway leading a stellar cast.
  • April 10, 2009
    Klasika noirovek. Pro milovniky zanru povinnost a kult v jednom.
  • April 9, 2009
    really good movie, I liked it alot... a classic from Jack Nicholson. A must watch.
  • April 8, 2009
    wud give it 10 stars if they had them.
  • April 2, 2009
    Polanski, Dunaway and Nicholson team up in a definitive classic.
  • March 26, 2009
    this movie is wonderful.
  • March 22, 2009
    Unforgettable and messed up, but intelligent and involving.
  • March 14, 2009
    At easily over 2 hours long, this is definitely a long movie which demands a degree of attention. The ending was fantastic, albeit depressing and reminded me of No Country For Old Men. The most important thing I learned from this movie was that you need to be cool-headed and shar...( read more)p, in life, and not stomp around carelessly as if you can take on the world (as much as I adore action heroes and happy endings).
  • March 7, 2009
    That which modern film making strives toward, at least in the mystery - drama department. On My 45 Perfect Movies list.
  • March 3, 2009
    Evelyn Mulwray: She's my daughter.
    [Gittes slaps Evelyn]
    Jake Gittes: I said I want the truth!
    Evelyn Mulwray: She's my sister...
    [slap]
    Evelyn Mulwray: She's my daughter...
    [slap]
    Evelyn Mulwray: My sister, my daughter.
    [More slaps]
    Jake Gittes: I said I want t...( read more)he truth!
    Evelyn Mulwray: She's my sister AND my daughter!
    Yes this is a classic movie that everyone should see :)
  • March 2, 2009
    "Let me explain something to you, Walsh. This business requires a certain amount of finesse"

    10/10

    Polanski offers a return to film noir. Pessimistic and dark, it is an essential viewing for any film-goer.

    Chinatown is the apex of the 1970's film renaissance. Jack Nich...( read more)olson shines in one of his best performances with a mystifying atmosphere of intrigue and distrust.

    Polanski's exploration of the detective thrillers of 1940's-50's film-noir is nothing short of dazzling.
  • February 22, 2009
    A near perfect film. One of my favorite Jack Nicolson performances.
  • February 20, 2009
    classic noir. great acting, great story. i own it.
  • February 18, 2009
    a neo-noir classic with great acting, directing, story, style, mood etc.
  • February 16, 2009
    Could be my favorite of all - Great story - Jack Nicholson is great.
  • February 9, 2009
    It feels really long, but it's worth seeing
  • February 6, 2009
    Chinatown is a truly amazing throwback to the noir detective films of the 1940s. The mystery is surprising, engaging, and full of ironies that I may not fully understand until I watch it again. Did I mention that the cast is awesome too?
  • January 30, 2009
    Interesting story, good acting, makes the ending work.
  • January 26, 2009
    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.
  • January 13, 2009
    Few movies shaped my views on what film could be when I was young like Chinatown did. This interchanges with A Clockwork Orange as my favorite movie.
  • January 11, 2009
    Complicated, slow-building and ultimately shattering thriller from Hollywood's platinum years. Nicholson is excellent as the gumshoe who becomes obsessed with a case he may crack but never win, as is Dunaway as the ostensible "femme fatale" of the piece... or is she? Be sure to p...( read more)ay close attention to details and dialogue, you'll need your brain (you know, that thing you leave in a jar at the door when you see Michael Bay movies) to connect the pieces laid out here. Polanski gets the 30s noir feel down, filtered through a dark, very 70s political perspective. Admittedly, I didn't find it as compulsively watchable as much of its 1970s New Hollywood brethren, but it really is excellent work, from all involved.
  • January 7, 2009
    A film I'd watch again, but I didn't get as much out of it as most other people did.
    It's just a little to tamed for my tastes. I can see it for what it is, what it does, and how it does it. But, at the end of the day, it's just not my style.
  • January 4, 2009
    Jack Nicholson is awesome.
  • January 3, 2009
    Nicholson kicks ass...his finest role. Polanski shines nicely here.
  • December 29, 2008
    One of Jack Nicholson's finer moments, definitely a thriller.
  • December 11, 2008
    Incest, blah blah, stolen water, blah blah. Nothing interesting here at all folks.

Summary


Chinatown Summary