Chinatown - Film Review

Note: The film I'm about to review has deep connections to its director, Roman Polanski, who remains wanted for the drugging and raping of a 13-year-old girl in 1977. While Polanski's actions are horrible, this review may occasionally mention his actions as a director in a positive manner. I want to clarify ahead of time that any positive mention of Polanski's directorial prowess is in no way an endorsement of the man's conduct outside of film. Furthermore, a film goes beyond any single person and I do not believe it would be right to ignore this film and all the hard work that went into making it as several actors/actresses, crews, and technicians helped craft it.

Back when I first started reviewing Bosch, I stated how much I loved the noir-detective style behind the show, which blended perfectly with its use of a jazzy saxophone and the Los Angeles setting, but it made me wonder if this style had been used before and if it had worked as well in the past as it does now. This one had been on my watchlist for some time, but I wasn't even sure on how to find a viewable copy due to its age (and possibly its infamy). Luckily for me, Jeff Bezos has my back.

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Where You Can Find It: I saw this on Amazon Video where it is currently available for free to any Amazon Prime members.

General Information 
Chinatown is a neo-noir mystery film that was released on 20 June 1974. It was directed by Roman Polanski, produced by Robert Evans, written by Robert Towne, and had its music done by Jerry Goldsmith. Chinatown was distributed by Paramount Pictures. It received eleven Academy Award nominations with Towne winning the award for Best Original Screenplay. It arguably would have won more if it had not had the misfortune of competing against The Godfather Part II (who subsequently walked away with an equal eleven nominations, but six wins). Furthermore, it was selected for the preservation in the United States National Film Registry, within the Library of Congress, for its achievements in film. Chinatown holds a 92 Metascore on Metacritic with an even more impressive 99% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. On 10 August 1990, Paramount Pictures released a sequel, The Two Jakes, however it is generally considered to pale in comparison to its predecessor.

The Story

Private investigator Jake Gittes (played by Jack Nicholson) is an ex-cop that specializes in tracking down dirty information on the targets of his clients' whims in 1937 Los Angeles. Gittes receives a standard deal to look into the wrongdoings of the Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling), by Mulwray's wife, who believes the man may be having an affair. After a few pictures, Gittes catches Mulwray with another woman, which quickly closes the case, however not everything is as it seems. Mulwray winds up dead shortly after Gittes closes his investigation, meanwhile Gittes discovers that the woman who hired him was not actually Mulwray's wife! Realizing he's been played and that his reputation is in tatters, he'll have to crack open the conspiracy behind Mulwray's death before it's too late.

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Gittes is good, and he'll have to be if he wants to solve this case

There are tons of murder mystery films out there, but I've come to learn that the best mysteries are the ones that go beyond simply figuring out who did what and instead focuses on the "why." The amount of world-building that is established in this is impressive as a lot of information is delivered organically so that exposition monologues are kept to a bare minimum. Furthermore, as the story takes place entirely from Gittes' perspective, the viewer can't always trust the information that is presented as everyone is hiding something. This gives the viewer the chance to question what is shown and make their own deductions while the story unfolds. I was happy to say that I was kept guessing through to the end and that the mystery never truly hits a lull as Gittes struggles to piece things together.

Another fascinating element in this story is the use of characters. Everyone from the protagonist to the crippled farm-hand has a part to play. Gittes is a fascinating character to see in action as he embodies what would later become the private eye stereotype without losing his sense of vulnerability. Gittes always seems to be just off the mark in his deductions, but it's never due to incompetency and more-so the complexity of the antagonist and the conspiracy they're behind. The mixing of additional characters like Mulrway's wife, Evelyn (Faye Dunaway), Lieutenant Escobar (Perry lopez), and Russ Yelburton (John Hillerman) into the mystery only further enhances the story to something truly one-of-a-kind. 

Special Effects/Atmosphere

The direction and cinematography throughout this film is absolutely fantastic. Arguably one of the best scenes in the film is when Gittes visits an orange farm and gets a lot more than he bargained for. Without spoiling what happens, the camera work for that entire scene is done incredibly well, while I will equally point to a similar scene where Gittes gets in a fistfight. Beyond the camera work, Chinatown also boasts one of the best uses of foreshadowing that I can think of in cinema.

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Those orange farms hide more than Vitamin C

Although I suppose this pales in comparison to what's previously been discussed, I really appreciated the set design, costumes, and music in this. Jerry Goldsmith delivers some excellent scores, and I believe it's generally accepted that most people imagine Gittes' signature nose-bandage whenever they think of this film.

The Acting

I've always wondered where Jack Nicholson first really broke out into becoming a massive star and merely assumed that his legend really began with The Shining. He is arguably at his very best in this film and it's a real treat to see. Nicholson's slick charisma works perfectly for Jack Gittes and it makes him really shine in nearly every scene.

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The chemistry between Nicholson and Dunaway is awesome

The supporting cast is also quite impressive as I really liked Faye Dunaway's performance as Evelyn. I think it's a bit of a shame that Dunaway's name doesn't pop as much in cinema history as Nicholson's as her character is arguably more complex than Nicholson's. Despite that, I was really impressed with her work and will keep an eye out for some of her other previous works. Beyond Dunaway, I was pleasantly surprised to see John Hillerman and loved the few scenes he blustered his way through. I have no doubt his performance in this helped him snag his big role in Magnum P.I. six years later. 

The Best of the Best: The brilliant camera work that cranks everything up a notch.

The Worst of the Worst: Gittes forgetting he has employees that can do stuff for him during large segments of the investigation.

Calhooey Score: 9/10 - fantastic

Would I Recommend?

5

Don't listen to 'em, Jake!

The only true sin this film makes is that it came out in the same year as a juggernaut like The Godfather Part II. If you like mystery movies, you will love this. Neo-noir fans will equally enjoy this as that is arguably one of the biggest of the sub-genre to ever hit the silver screen. L.A. Confidential, Bosch, and even Blade Runner all owe a little to this gem. I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys cinema.

-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------

• Considering the film's name, I assumed most of the movie would be about Chinatown. How wrong I was...
• It was weird seeing Hillerman not speak with a pompous British accent. This must have been what Higgins was up to before he met up with Thomas Magnum.
• In case you didn't know, the guy that slices Gittes' nose open is played by none other than Roman Polanski.
• I recall seeing images of Nicholson with that bandage over his nose, but I didn't realize he'd be sporting it for the majority of the film.
• That really looked like it hurt when Gittes got cracked over the head with that crutch.
• The shooters in this film are all really good shots.
• The foreshadowing I mentioned in my review was when Evelyn rested her head on her car's steering wheel causing the car horn to go off. When Lieutenant Escobar shot at her car and we heard the horn go off, it was clear that she was dead.
• I'm not fully sure why Gittes wasn't arrested in the conclusion. I guess it was grim enough.
• Seriously... A rape victim dies and her attacker makes off with her child into the night.
• Speaking of rape, I can't help but feel a little queasy over the fact that one of the main characters was raped as a teenager only for the director to act almost identical to the antagonist of this film. If Roman Polanski's life were a film, Chinatown essentially foreshadowed his own downfall.

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------

(1) Rubbelke, L. (n.d.). Chinatown film image. Pinterest. Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/263953228143808185/.

(2) Korbin, A. (2019, April 15). Gittes with binoculars image. Culture Trip. Retrieved from: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/articles/noir-l-a-retracing-the-footsteps-of-film-noir-in-los-angeles/.

(3) Deep Focus Review. (n.d.). Gittes at the orange farm image. Retrieved from: https://deepfocusreview.com/definitives/chinatown/.

(4) Frankel, G. (2020, February 7). Nicholson and Dunaway image. Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-men-who-made-chinatown-unforgettable/2020/02/06/dac54a24-2116-11ea-86f3-3b5019d451db_story.html. 

(5) Long Beach Indie. (n.d.). It's Chinatown gif. Pinterest. Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/333970128589457309/.