What Makes "Chinatown" Great.

Roman Polanski's magnum opus Chinatown is a true marvel in terms of performances, production values, direction, and story. It brilliantly brings back the Noir Genre that was so popular in the 40s and 50s and makes it fresh for the 70s. This all comes together to create an engrossing tale of mystery, corruption, injustice, and eventually tragedy, all things that were trending upward during the early 70s.

Private investigator Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is hired by a woman by the name of Evelyn Mulwray (Diane Ladd) to follow her husband who happens to be the chief engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Jake realizes that this was a set-up when he is confronted by the real Evelyn Mulray (Faye Dunaway). This leads Jake on a trail of murder and corruption involving the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

A good Fim-Noir can succeed or fail based on the protagonist alone, and Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Jake definitely succeeds in that regard, it's my personal favorite role of his. He fits perfectly with the persona that people like Humphry Bogart made famous. Nicholson can rock that Fedora, as well as anybody, and always has a wisecrack or witty remark no matter the situation. He does it all in the unique delivery and draw that only he can pull off. He's made very likable when you see the forces he is up against, from incompetence on the police side to corruption on the water department's side. This makes him a great "everyman" hero in this regard. Another aspect of the Film-Noir is the mysterious woman or Femme Fatal who is tied to everything, and Dunaway is equally effective as Nickolson in recreating that classic troupe. Her demeanor comes off as calm and collected, but we can tell that there is some dark secret that she has deep down such as lighting a cigarette when she has one going already or the brief pauses when Jake brings up certain names. There is a lot going on in this film in terms of story and could have easily overwhelmed, but Robert Towne's screenplay is so brilliantly structured that the film never becomes too complicated or unengaging, which is also due to Sam O'Steen's masterful editing in keeping the structure of the film sound and the pacing brilliant. Polanski and Towne also highlight the underlying sense of helplessness, corruption, and tragedy that play as the major themes of Chinatown. Evelyn, Jack, and The main antagonist Noah Cross (John Huston) are all representations of those themes. Cross uses his wealth and power to plow through anything that is in his way, rather it's through lies, bribery, or even murder. The first time you meet Cross it's pretty easy to say he's the bad guy even before he's official reveal as such. His demeanor and delivery just scream "don't trust this man", and despite the fact that it's easy to see coming, it works well thanks to how good of a villain Noah Cross is. Evelyn is just another cruel result of Cross's unethical practices, as it is revealed that not only is Cross revealed to be her father, but is also the father of Evelyn's daughter. Jack meanwhile is the one caught in the middle of all this. He reveals to Evelyn that he was once on a police officer, but quit because he felt the force and himself weren't really making a difference in the city. This desire of Jack to make some form of a dent in such an unjust world ultimately fails as all he can do is watch as Evelyn's desire for justice leads to her death. It's a battle that Jake can never win and the film's closing line "Forget it Jake it's Chinatown" represents this aspect.

Chinatown is one of the most gorgeous films you'll ever see, with Polanski capturing 1930s Los Angeles brilliantly. La in the 30s was not yet the big city we know today and was divided between the more modern aspects of the city with crowded streets and expensive houses and rural farmland and desert that rests just outside downtown. Props to Production Designers Richard Sylbert, W. Stewart Cambell, and Ruby Levitt, and costume designer Anthea Sylbert for creating such a period-accurate look. The distinct look of California is also captured brilliantly with Cinematographer John A. Alonzo, esspisally with the beautiful colors that the sunlight and sunset cast over Los Angeles. Jerry Goldsmith's fantastic jazz score is as beautiful as it is somber going perfectly with the film, and it sticks with you long after the film is over.

Chinatown has been studied and analyzed for years and it's easy to see why. It's brilliant structure and attention to detail allows the notice of things that you may have missed the first or even the second time watching it, making rewatching it highly rewarding. It's certainly the case for me as the more times I see it, I always love it a little more.