Chinatown (1974)

Style is something you either have or you don't. When it comes to style you can either be a trend setter, and trend follower, or the smelly kid who wears plaid shirts with pink sweatpants (For some reason this kid always tried to convince you he was also a famous WCW wrestler). If you're going to be a P.I. in the 1930's you had better be a trend setter, or at the very least a trend follower. Jack Nicholson's character J.J. Gittes oozes class and style. His snappy suits, his awesome hats, and his "I'm bad and I know it" attitude distract from the fact that the title of this movie makes no sense whatsoever.

You would think that a movie called "Chinatown" would take place in Chinatown. This, however, wasn't the case. The only connection that Chinatown had to the actual Chinatown is that J.J. Gittes used to work in Chinatown. There are no flashbacks or in depth stories about Chinatown; just a few comments about it, and then the last 5 minutes of the movie take place there.

Chinatown takes place in 1930's L.A. during a drought. J.J. Gittes is hired to follow the head of the water and power, Hollis Mulwray, by his "wife" Evelyn. I say "wife" because it turns out that Hollis' real wife was not the woman that hired Gittes (I don't consider this a spoiler because not only was this information in the trailer but it happens in the first few minutes of the movie). When Hollis refuses to build a dam that the locals are convinced will solve their drought problems he turns up dead. Piece by piece Gittes becomes more involved with the case until he no longer knows who to trust.

This movie does a great job of keeping the audience guessing. This not only makes the plot twists more shocking, but it gives the feeling that you are solving the case yourself. Like you're playing a big game of Clue. I'm Professor Plum!!!

My only complaint about the movie was the ending. It kept my attention through the whole thing, and then fizzled out at the end. To say that I was mad and disappointed by the ending would be a gross understatement. Still a very decent film.

The bottom line:
Rating: 3.8
Would I own it? Probably not. That's how mad the ending made me.
Would I recommend it? I would with a warning about the impending anger of the watcher.

Here is a trailer for Chinatown. I don't think this is an original trailer, but rather a remake someone made to be "famous" on Youtube. Still it's a good visual aid.