Chinatown (1974)
 Director
Roman Polanski's finest two hours take the Chandleresque mystery
into bizarre byways and deep psychological territory, with Jack
Nicholson's jaded private eye Jake Gittes (named after Jack
Nicholson's friend, producer Harry Gittes) led by a neurotic femme
fatale (Faye Dunaway), and even more dangerous self-delusion, into
a maelstrom of greed, murder and incest in the mean streets and
orange groves of 1930's Los Angeles.
Ironically, the title may be somewhat misleading as the only
time an audience actually gets to Chinatown is during the
explosive finale, yet all the while a foreboding nastiness about
this specific zone in LA is made reference to as past experience
Gittes would rather forget.
Nicholson's performance is, to say the least, flawless as a man
about to uncover dirty politics and conspiracy underneath the
guise of a simple infidelity case.
So too the attention to detail and atmospherics care of the
soon to be outcast Polanski (four years later he would flee the
USA to avoid charges of raping a 13 year old girl), lasting
forever in the memory via a nasty cameo in which he slits our
leading man's nose.
Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, yet only walking away with one
(Original Screenplay), Chinatown is what all cinematic
delivery is ever trying to achieve: interesting characters
developing throughout an engrossing scenario.
Famous last words : "Forget it, Jake. It's
Chinatown".
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