Chinatown (1974)

 

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown..."

One of the most memorable quotes in film history, which is rather bizarre when you think about it as nearly all the runtime of this film doesn't even take place in said Chinatown. Heck, it's only the last five minutes or so that our leads end up there for a gut-punch ending. 

Still a great film, though.

Jake Gittes (Nicholson) is a private investigator who usually works on cases where people suspect their other halves to be having an affair. It's a dirty job but someone's got to do it. One day, Gittes is approached by a Mrs Mulwray who thinks her husband is doing someone on the side. As far as Jake can discover, this seems to be the case. 

The plot thickens however when the man is found dead and Jake finds out that in the middle of a serious drought, water is being dumped into the ocean. Moreover, it turns out that the woman who hired him wasn't the real Mrs Mulwray, who later shows up and eventually hires Gittes to find out what happened to her husband. 

It doesn't end there, as Gittes discovers plots within plots, lies, deceit and much more on his way to finding out just what the heck happened. 

Staying purposefully vague for the sake of people who have never seen 'Chinatown'? Yes, absolutely. One needs to discover the twisting threads of this one for oneself.

That being said, this is another masterclass in mystery and suspense by Roman Polanski, who also give us another classic in the guise of 'Rosemary's Baby'. This one of course is more film noir and detective story and not even close to horror, but his way with atmosphere and mystery is just as strong as ever. 

He is of course helped by strong performances all over, with Jack Nicholson on a roll as Jake Gittes. And despite the stories of a difficult working relation on set, Faye Dunaway is quite memorable as the real Mrs Mulwray, a woman with a troubled past for more than one reason. 

Like stated in the beginning: the ending is gutwrenching for more than one reason. That makes it both realistic and harsh, but in all fairness: there is no other way this should have ended. 

Curious to know what it's all about? Then what are you waiting for? Go and watch this superb picture.