Chinatown (1974)
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Darrell Zwerling, Diane Ladd, Roy Jenson, Roman Polanski, Richard Bakalyan, Joe Mantell, Bruce Glover, Nandu Hinds, James O'Rear, James Hong
Director: Roman Polanski
Running Time: 131 minutes
US MPAA rating: N/AUK BBFC rating: 15
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
On DVD Jack Nicholson is probably one of the few men who can go through the bulk of a film with a ridiculous plaster strapped across his nose and dressed like a cross between Gareth Gates and The Man From Del Monte, and still come out of it with his credibility in tact. It's because the man is an incredible actor - possibly THE actor - and that's one of the main reasons the at-times boring 'Chinatown' remains so watchable.
Nicholson is Jake Gittes, the quick-witted hard-boilled P.I. who ends up in well over his head when he becomes embroiled in a scheming businessman's dastardly plot to make himself some big bucks by drying out the San Fernando valley. It's not exactly an edge-of-the-seater as far as crime hooks go - agribusiness isn't really noted for its white-knuckle qualities - but this isn't your average wishy-washy private 'tec pot-boiler.
Director Roman Polanski and writer Robert Towne give us a film with the look of an old school murder-mystery but a story that creates its own formula. The direction is masterful and the story-telling painstaking in content and detail, if not entertainment value.
But it is, to all intents and purposes, Nicholson's film. He's literally in every scene, and the tale unfolds to us at precisely the same rate as it does to him. If Gittes isn't finding out about it, it's not worth knowing. Alongside a similarly well-cast Faye Dunaway as the love interest and femme fatale of the piece, J-Nick produces a performance all would-be actors should be trying to emulate. He's tough and he can hold his own, but he's also likable and caring - and, in all departments, Nicholson is never anything other than totally believable.
To say this is Jack's best film is, in this reviewer's humble opinion, ridiculous. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Shining are both vastly superior. No matter how well-made this one is, it's slow-paced, tough-going and, for many viewers, won't catch the imagination. But if you like a bit of noir and fancy watching something that requires all of your attention, this is definitely the film to see.
DVD Extras: A trailer, and some on-screen interviews with Polanski, Towne and producer Robert Evans.
It's Got: A fantastic - and unexpected - ending.
It Needs: A fresh plaster for that injured hooter. Or at least a skin-coloured one.
Alternatives: The Two Jakes, LA Confidential
Summary: It's slow, and it'll test your patience, but it might just be worth it.
Review by Gary Panton
External Links
Chinatown at the IMDB
Comments3 Comments |
| you're an idiot-immediately stop reviewing movies and save the world from a large dose of stupidity |
| Comment by:- Anonymous | | 07 September 2004 | ip: logged |
| I have a sequel to chinatown. Who might be interested? |
| Comment by:- stewart macdougall | stewartmacdougall.com... | 17 September 2004 | ip: logged |
| Slow-moving? I saw Chinatown in it's first release in a movie theater and it was then, as it is now on video or television, never less than fascinating and gripping from beginning to end. And yes, it is Jack Nicholson's best picture: The Shining and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest simply aren't as well-written and played in ensemble as Chinatown. |
| Comment by:- judybrowni | | 04 December 2004 | ip: logged |
