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Many films from the 1970s allow even the most gripping narratives to flow with the consequences of real life. CHINATOWN is a classic film whose intrigues and adventures culminate in life-changing moments for its protagonist, Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson).
Director Roman Polanski's classic neo-noir detective story is set during a heat wave in 1930s Los Angeles, where residents suffer from a water shortage due to an ongoing drought. With stellar contributions from composer Jerry Goldsmith and screenwriter Robert Towne, whose script recalls the hard-boiled cynicism of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, CHINATOWN is a complex and superbly crafted period drama that has become Polanski's most critically acclaimed film. Private investigator Gittes runs a sleazy detective agency. When a client (Diane Ladd) hires him to spy on her "husband," who is rumored to be having an affair with a younger woman, Jake uncovers a plot against the man--but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Still to emerge are a sex scandal implicating the real wife (Faye Dunaway), with whom Jake is destined to become more closely acquainted, and a real estate swindle of tremendous proportions devised by her tycoon father (John Huston), backed up by a vast network of corrupt city officials and landowners who make life hell for the private eye.
This story crystallizes the impact of a chance meeting with the romantic ideals of the early 1970s, when the American urban landscape and economic power structures were in flux.
Credits
Producer:
Robert Evans
Cast:
Beulah Quo, Bruce Glover, Burt Young, Darrell Zwerling, Diane Ladd, Faye Dunaway, Jack Nicholson, James Hong, Jerry Fujikawa, Joe Mantell, John Hillerman, John Huston, Noble Willingham, Perry Lopez, Rance Howard, Richard Bakalyan, Roy Jenson, Roy Roberts
Editorial reviews
"...[Polanski] handles the mechanics of the plot with a ruthless brilliance that is immediately involving..." Sight and Sound - p.243 - Tom Milne
"...Incomparable..." Entertainment Weekly - p.83 - Troy Patterson
"...Like most noir stories, CHINATOWN ends in a flurry of revelation....For Nicholson, the role had enormous importance..." Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (02/06/2000)
"...A film noir masterpiece that never stops screwing with your head..." Total Film - Dorian Lynskey (07/01/2000)
"Faye Dunaway quivers, John Huston looms, but Nicholson's Gittes seems untouchable inside..." Premiere - Premiere Staff (04/01/2004)
"[T]he director's dark wit questions the conventions of noir, and exhales stylish seediness." Uncut - Chris Roberts (09/01/2004)
5 stars out of 5 -- "Jack Nicholson lends J.J. Gittes nervy sharpness, and John Huston fills villainous Noah Cross with menace..." Empire - Ian Nathan (12/01/2007)
Awards
1974 Academy Awards, Best Original Screenplay: Robert Towne
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