Chinatown

Originally posted to the DMI Review on 6/9/13

Forget it, Jake.

by Hunter Isham

        Roman Polanski's 1974 mystery film Chinatown is neo-noir at its best, introducing elements to the film noir genre that before would have seemed far too controversial. Our hero is the unsavory yet decent snoop J.J. "Jake" Gittes, a man who deals mostly in finding and revealing the adulterous acts of his clients' spouses. He doesn't exactly seem in it for the good of the people. Hired to look into the personal life of Hollis Mulwray, chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Gittes quickly begins to uncover a devious scheme of corruption, the kind that is a hallmark of the detective film. Chinatown gives us a tale that's about as dark as they get, and the film's famously shocking ending is a reminder of that tone, yet it stands as one of the greatest mystery films of all time.
        For all of the iconic roles he's inhabited, Jack Nicholson has the ability to become his characters while also being unmistakably Nicholson, and his first performance as Jake Gittes is typically fantastic, and one of the many keys to this film's success. Nicholson's many characters over the years have included those who have their own crazy idiosyncrasies and moments of apparent insanity, such as Jack Torrance in The Shining and the Joker in Batman, but as Gittes he is restrained while retaining all of his charm and personality. He can talk his way into (or out of) just about anything, and his wilder moments come only when he's forced to literally spring into action. Such a slick personality needs something to counter it and Faye Dunaway does this as Evelyn Mulwray, the mysterious wife of Hollis who always seems to be hiding something. Dunaway's performance is a true balancing act as she is able to go from an overly protective enigma to a real, softened person caught up in a whole lot of deceit. The trifecta of wonderful actors in Chinatown is complete with John Huston as Noah Cross, a man partially responsible for bringing water to Los Angeles with Hollis Mulwray. Huston—known mostly for his illustrious career of a director of such classics as The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The African Queen, The Man Who Would Be King, and Annie—is excellent in his few scenes as Cross, a formidable persona with whom Gittes crosses paths. The remainder of the cast is filled with character actors who provide all the right touches, be they hardened cops or shifty henchmen (a role Polanski inhabits here quite well).
        The rest of what makes Chinatown work like a well-oiled machine is hardly minor. Robert Towne's screenplay is smart, dark, and complex, creating a mystery around the real life water wars that took place in pre-War Los Angeles while swapping out real figures for fictitious ones for the good of the story (for example, Mulwray is a stand-in for Mulholland, now famous for the twisty road that bears his name). Now legendary composer contributes a period-specific score of haunting brass and strings that helps pull you into the film's world during its throwback opening credits. The man who puts it all together (and who nixed Towne's original ending) is Roman Polanski. Given that his personal life has sullied his name for many, we'll just avoid his indiscretions as they have no affect on how his work should be viewed (although interestingly, Chinatown was his last American film, just a few years before he made it impossible for himself to return). Whatever you may think of him as a human being, there's no denying that Polanski can direct, something the Academy confirmed decades after he'd fled by awarding him for his work on The Pianist. Of all his films, which also include Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown will likely remain that one "classic" that everyone admires. Polanski successfully recreates 1930s Los Angeles with the locations untouched by still-growing development, leaving the film with an authentic atmosphere that feels just right. Some films like Chinatown are more about the period than the story taking place within it, but here it is just the opposite, where everything feels real but never heightened.
        Chinatown has become the ultimate neo-noir film, reaching into the darker depths that were often hinted at in earlier motion pictures. Classics like 1955's Kiss Me Deadly approached the line, and even a limb over from time to time, but Polanski's film firmly plants itself in a new generation of genre. Even if Chinatown weren't toying with a formula, it would still be one hell of a movie, with Nicholson, Dunaway, Towne, and Polanski all operating at the top of their respective professions, creating an endlessly entertaining experience that should not be missed. Many films have tried to follow in its footsteps, including a worthy but somewhat lesser follow-up (1990's The Two Jakes, written again by Towne and directed by Nicholson) and the phenomenal L.A. Confidential, but this one remains the gold standard. It's Chinatown, and I don't think we'll ever forget it. 10/10