This crime noir thriller based on true events gathers a cast of fresh faces, who have to fight against an uninspired and unexciting script. While the acting is decent, especially by Mia Kirshner in her flashback parts, it's still somewhat hard to care about anything that's going on in a very confusing storyline. All that's nicely filmed, but terribly slow at times and with dots of humor that just don't wanna fit. At least the solution is somewhat surprising, but only few viewers will even get that far. And they actually don't miss all that much.
from the director of Scarface and The Black Dahlia Brian DePalma directs 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 mains unsolved today. the urdr is in this film is still remains unsolved today. a great film and well directed from director Brian DePalma.
Was interested to see what Johansson, Hartnett and Swank could make of this, the story of a murder investigation that takes over the lives of its detectives. Not too impressed. Shame.
All of the cast is unable to act...so why should one give credit to De Palma and co.?First of all...the lavishing perfume reminds us L.A. Confidential..and unfortunately it's theft by the director...Second...I'll pass.It's supposed to be a detective noir,all I spotted was an error based on a book.
This was a very mysterious thriller. It kind of had me guessing throughout the entire movie. I kind of expected a little more out of it though. Don't get me wrong. It was a very well done film. The lighting alone was remarkable, but I thought the actors could've given a little more. But a great movie overall.
I had such high hopes for this movie, Brian De Palma directing Scarlett Johansson as a femme fatale in a 1940s-L.A-based Neo-Noir? What's not to like? Well Plenty it would seem because The Black Dahlia is just a confused mess that doesn't know what it's trying to be. The characters lack any real depth and the ending just feels rushed. Overall The Black Dahlia is well acted and competently directed but suffocates under an inept screenplay.
There are a lot of subplots to this movie, but I guess the main plot is Bucky and Lee's attempt to solve the Black Dahlia's murder. I quite enjoyed Hilary Swank's part. I didn't realize it was her until I read the cast list after I watched the movie.
I went into this hearing it was a bad movie. It wasn't that bad. It did feel like a Dick Tracy movie at times, though I felt the story would of been boring otherwise. But Eckhart does god as he always does.
An excellent noir-style story. Josh Hartnett and Hillary Swank are particularily impressive. This film has some pretty gruesome images, but they hardly bring down the overall effect of the film.
Ok I confess, I watched this movie for Josh Hartnett... but I actually found it quite interesting, liked the story and the atmosphere... I just don't get why Bucky is Mr Ice cause he looks really hot to me!
My my. classic detective narrative meets carefully crafted authentic film noir. very good indeed. the movie is dark, and the use of mise en scene is spectacular. the photography is very well done, as well restrained when it needs to be, and explicit elsewhere. great framing. interwoven stories add to the complexity and give the movie a rich feeling. many plot twist, but it is a great movie.
Eh, it was okay. A little bit slow though. I think they kind of strayed away from the plot for a little while to add more sex, so then when they got back to the plot the ending seemed a little tacked on, but it was still relatively watchable. Competent acting, great setting. I kind of think they could have done the story more justice though.
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 remains 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.
Pretty enough to render it watchable, but not to compensate for its slow pace. Even though Eckhart, Kirschner, Hartnett, Johansson, Swank and Ricci's clone McGowan form an excellent cast, the dry script and dull characterisation are a constant drag, particularly towards the beginning. Perhaps worth seeing for a simple but well-acted murder story, but it could have been so much more...
Great movie. Awesome crime drama. I saw the other one which was really stupid, this movie is so much better. The way her mouth was cut made her look like a shark.
The plot can be a bit slow and boring at times but gets really good when it does pick up. The whole cast, especially Hilary Swank is superb. Hilary Swank is absolutely gorgeous and her character is totally different from all the other characters I've seen her play.
What I liked about the film....the scene settings and costumes. What I didn't like...everything else! I was extremely disappointed with the telling of this old unsolved Hollywood murder. Not enough emphasis on the actual history. To me it seemed to be all over the place. Others may disagree.
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