Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Josh Hartnett

A tale of obsession, love, corruption, greed and depravity that revolves around a true story of the brutal murder of a fledgling Hollywood starlet that shocked and fascinated the nation in 1947 and re...( read more  read more... )mains unsolved today. Two ex-pugilist cops, Lee Blanchard and Bucky Bleichert, are called to investigate the homicide of ambitious silver-screen B-lister Betty Ann Short -- aka 'The Black Dahlia' -- an attack so grisly that images of the killing were kept from the public. While Blanchard's growing preoccupation with the sensational murder threatens his marriage to Kay, his partner, Bleichert, finds himself attracted to the enigmatic Madeleine Linscott, the daughter of one of the city's most prominent families -- who just happens to have an unsavory connection to the murder victim.

Flixster Users

33% liked it

28,844 ratings

Critics

34% liked it

179 critics

R, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: Brian DePalma

Release Date: September 15, 2006

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DVD Release Date: December 26, 2006

Stats: 7,364 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (7,364)


  • August 21, 2009
    Thought Hartnett and eckhart were great 2gether. visually this movie is cool and i luv the music. the film lax a good story doh. not bad but not good
  • June 14, 2009
    The Black Dahlia follows a fictional story about two LAPD detectives (Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart) who are part of a task force to solve the butchering of an aspiring actress who is found hacked up in Hollywood. The death is true. The rest of the bullshit that De Palma throws...( read more) onto the screen is not as you are treated to two hours of bad acting, direction, screenwriting, but at least the costumes look good.

    For such a grade A cast the acting in Black Dahlia is below high school theater class level. I think this is the first time I can say that is 100% all around. Everyone sucked in this film. What's more is that the worst casting of the decade has to be Hillary Swank as the femme fatale who is the dark key to the whole thing. Oh yeah, she just won an Oscar. Who gives a shit if the role is right for her. What was De Palma thinking?

    Of course Brian De Palma has accomplished nothing as a director in almost twenty years. His tombstone will read that here lies the guy that directed Scarface, that over rated, over produced film that turned Pacino into a screamer. De Palma keeps reaching for something and never quite grasps it.

    So if you're into two hours of mess, try the Black Dahlia that throws every cliche known to man onto the screen. If you're expecting Zodiac, don't bother. Apparently a straight crime story isn't enough for De Palma and company.
  • February 9, 2009
    who else but brian depalma could take a phenomenal cast and one of the most interesting murders in american history and turn it into a sloppy mess on screen. johanssons polarizing presence on screen is all that saves this horrible film from reaching the depths of film making. t...( read more)he story was incoherent at best, and most of the film was spent on things that had nothing to do with the tale at hand. what a waste of film.
  • January 3, 2009
    Based on a real case from 1947, The Black Dahlia refers to the murder of a wannabe starlet investigated by detectives Aaaron Eckhart and Josh Hartnett. Brian De Palma does his very best to ape the classic noirs of the 40s, and visually, it's great as it beautifully recreates the ...( read more)glamour and atmosphere of the era. The sound track is also excellent, and I must say I had high hopes because it actually starts off pretty well with some nice interplay between the two and some interesting plot developments. Irritations soon started to creep in though, as Brian De Palma's clunky insensitive direction and penchant for pointless gimmicks reared their ugly heads; the scene shot in first person for no discernible reason being probably the worst example. Then as the story gets messier and more sensationalist, it starts to look more like one of those tasteless "erotic thrillers" of the 80s. Eventually you realise that the plot is going to be one of those when our hero just happens to trip over the clues that solve the case in the last reel and that you've just wasted 90 minutes of your life. It certainly looks nice, but De Palma tried to make Chintown and ended up with another Mulholland Falls.
  • October 25, 2008
    I was expecting more from this movie. It didn't do the true story enough justice.
  • October 31, 2009
    This is my era, NOIR ... that is NOT what I GOT. This is H'woood, once again, screwing up the works. Far too bright, and practically an impossible storyline to follow if one had not read this fictional account in novelized form. Poorly acted, seemingly, yet not the actor's fault ...( read more)- they are all accomplished. The blame for the awkwardness falls entirely on the director. The smoking, too, was overdone, even for a heavily smoking era. Through my respirator I can yet savor the fumes. No wonder this one stunk it up! Major Golden Horde Arrows up the Arse!!!
  • October 26, 2009
    underated movie, well done.
  • October 25, 2009
    What exactly was all the fuss about - this movie sucks
  • October 14, 2009
    This shows how much the ending can effect the overall impression of the movie. Unlike "The Dog Problem" which jumped because of its ending, this movie drops because of its ending. Aaron Eckhart believes in upholding the law and then he decides to be judge/jury/executioner?
  • October 14, 2009
    well constructed atmosphere

Critic Reviews


September 18, 2006
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com

Vilmos Zsigmond's lush cinematography alone is almost worth the price of admission, and Jenny Beavan's costumes remind us why the late 1940s were one of the best times for fashion in the modern era. full review

September 15, 2006
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

The Black Dahlia feels wobbly and uncertain. full review

September 15, 2006
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

In The Black Dahlia, narrative strands tangle and wither, and minor characters clutter the plot. full review

September 15, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

What it accomplishes with its stunning cinematography and set design is undercut by a lack of coherence. full review

September 15, 2006
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

With the exception of Aaron Eckhart, De Palma's actors can't live up to the period or the atmosphere. full review

September 15, 2006
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

De Palma throws everything at the screen, but almost nothing sticks. full review

September 15, 2006
Pete Hammond, Maxim

Too often settles for standard B-movie contrivance, proving to disappointed ticket buyers the truth of this odd little movie's best line: 'Hollywood will f*** you when no one else will'. full review

September 15, 2006
Kurt Loder, MTV

Despite the juicy tabloid material and the filmmaking talent involved, "The Black Dahlia" is a bloated and oddly listless production. full review

September 14, 2006
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

The Black Dahlia is an essay in incoherence. The confusion wouldn't matter if there were any feeling onscreen, but the blood and innards seem missing from the movie, too. full review

September 14, 2006
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Brian De Palma's film honors Ellroy's grim prose but can't accommodate his byzantine plot. What seems rich and intricate on the page is tangled and impenetrable onscreen. full review

View more The Black Dahlia reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • kanokaan
    July 26, 2008
    what the...?what was that?!i prefer to watch brokeback mountain.this was suck.Only the cast is good.but they cant do anything for that disgusting senario.
  • pavacri23
    February 23, 2008
    pretty interesting but could be boring to youth audience
  • Aria625
    October 2, 2007
    Wow that table seen with josh & Scarlett was pretty wild..
  • Hellshocked
    April 2, 2007
    People who go to movie theaters for a history lesson should be sterilized for the greater good of the species. If you want history, do some research. The film didn't suck because it wasn't a factual account of the Dahlia murder and subsequent investigation, it sucked because it was poorly written, needlessly convoluted, at times horribly acted, misidrected and ultimately nonesensical. Tremendous disappointment, even for a DePalma film.
  • sweetheart3542
    March 13, 2007
    It was horrible! It could have been make interesting rather than boring. After the movie I was just asking myself "What did I just watch"?
  • ylwduckyq
    February 20, 2007
    Get ready for the Oscars on Sunday night, watch oscar nominated movie trailers at www.gotuit.com/channels/entertainment.html, we've got a whole bunch of Films that are up for oscars!
  • nkhonsari
    February 14, 2007
    A middle class B-movie. De Palma has better works than this.
  • xem0x
    January 22, 2007
    i agree with everyone else
    boring, boring, boring!
    not worth seeing
  • tina090235
    January 22, 2007
    it's good but not easy to understand,i think it's better for ppl to read the book before seeing it :P
  • sammibear02
    December 29, 2006
    hard to follow but it all came out in the end. i found it a little slow, but that was ok. the images were a little sickening, all of the images and you know what im talking about. it took me a few minutes to get it but i finally got it. i enjoyed this movie very much and will watch it again and recomemd it to my friends.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Black Dahlia Trivia


  • A tale of obsession, love, corruption, greed and depravity that revolves aroung the true story of a brutal murder  Answer »
  • In The Black Dahlia, who played the enigmatic 'femme fatale', Madeleine Linscot?  Answer »
  • In the Black Dahlia, which actress was the third member of the triangle between Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart?   Answer »
  • In the Black Dahlia, what connection, other than their job, did the two main detectives have?  Answer »

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