Chinatown

Roman Polanski, USA, 1974
4 out of 4 stars

Excellent, a “classic” that actually lives up to the film geek hype. I don’t think I realized that Jack Nicholson used to be a bad-ass (the old man version just isn’t cutting it), and the plot really hits you, especially at the end, which admittedly does feel tacked on, all the more so after you learn that Roman Polanski rewrote it against the screenwriter’s wishes (it works thematically but it doesn’t entirely make sense with regards to plot and characters). Without knowing enough about moviemaking I can tell that it’s very well shot. The idea of Chinatown being a menacing place not because of anything that we see actually happen there, but because of the bad memories they have of what has happened there, memories that ultimately have no relevance what happens at the end.

Finally, the effect of having his snooping go on in real time (actually showing him fiddle around until the receptionist gets fed up and gets him who he’s asked to see) is quite amazing. You’d think that would only fly in art flicks, and it’d be boring regardless, but I guess the 1970s were a different time for movies, and more importantly, Nicholson can pull it off here.

Source: Paramount DVD
20 January, 10:30 PM