Chinatown

Many films from the 1970s allow even the most gripping narratives to flow with the consequences of real life. CHINATOWN is a classic film whose intrigues and adventures culminate in life-changing moments for its protagonist, Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson). Director Roman Polanski's classic neo-noir detective story is set during a heat wave in 1930s Los Angeles, where residents suffer from a water shortage due to an ongoing drought. With stellar contributions from composer Jerry Goldsmith and screenwriter Robert Towne, whose script recalls the hard-boiled cynicism of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, CHINATOWN is a complex and superbly crafted period drama that has become Polanski's most critically acclaimed film. Private investigator Gittes runs a sleazy detective agency. When a client (Diane Ladd) hires him to spy on her "husband," who is rumored to be having an affair with a younger woman, Jake uncovers a plot against the man--but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Still to emerge are a sex scandal implicating the real wife (Faye Dunaway), with whom Jake is destined to become more closely acquainted, and a real estate swindle of tremendous proportions devised by her tycoon father (John Huston), backed up by a vast network of corrupt city officials and landowners who make life hell for the private eye. This story crystallizes the impact of a chance meeting with the romantic ideals of the early 1970s, when the American urban landscape and economic power structures were in flux.

Cast:

Year - Presenter		Award Category		Result		Name
1974 - Academy Awards		Best Original Screenplay		Winner		Robert Towne

"...[Polanski] handles the mechanics of the plot with a ruthless brilliance that is immediately involving..." -- Tom Milne , (Sight and Sound)

"...Incomparable..." -- Troy Patterson , (Entertainment Weekly)

"...Like most noir stories, CHINATOWN ends in a flurry of revelation....For Nicholson, the role had enormous importance..." -- Roger Ebert , (Chicago Sun-Times)

"...A film noir masterpiece that never stops screwing with your head..." -- Dorian Lynskey , (Total Film)

"Faye Dunaway quivers, John Huston looms, but Nicholson's Gittes seems untouchable inside..." -- Premiere Staff , (Premiere)

"[T]he director's dark wit questions the conventions of noir, and exhales stylish seediness." -- Chris Roberts , (Uncut)

5 stars out of 5 -- "Jack Nicholson lends J.J. Gittes nervy sharpness, and John Huston fills villainous Noah Cross with menace..." -- Ian Nathan , (Empire)

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