Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
Solid if slow moving noir homage
Indyfreak - wrote on 05/08/2019
The Black Dahlia is one of those movies with so much plot, it would benefit from a lengthier running time. It's less a mystery movie than a mood piece juggling out a character study. If I may use David Fincher as an example, think more Zodiac than Seven.
Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart play their roles well;Eckhart especially tackles his character's obsessiveness convincingly. Less successful is Scarlett Johansson. Mia Kirschner is very very good as the murder victim Elizabeth Short. In her brief screentime, she displays a coy playfulness that can easily segue into solemnity.
I appreciate De Palma's direction of the setting and letting the mood settle. It's rather misleading though. The title case is more of a set-up for another plot instead of the actual centerpiece of the feature. …
Rating of
2/4
"The Black Dahlia" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/25/2012
Based on a real case from 1947, The Black Dahlia refers to the murder of a wannabe starlet investigated by detectives Aaaron Eckhart and Josh Hartnett. Brian De Palma does his very best to ape the classic noirs of the 40s, and visually it's great as it beautifully recreates the glamour and atmosphere of the era. The sound track is also excellent and I must say I had high hopes because it actually starts off pretty well with some nice interplay between the two and some interesting plot developments. Irritations soon started to creep in though, as Brian De Palma's clunky insensitive direction and penchant for pointless gimmicks reared their ugly heads; the scene shot in first person for no discernible reason being probably the worst example. Then as the story gets messier and more …
Rating of
0.5/4
The Black Dahlia has a black heart
goodfellamike - wrote on 10/29/2008
There are only a handful of characters in The Black Dahlia, a laughable and cardboard creation by former suspense-master Brian DePalma: The up-and-coming police officer and former boxer Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett), his emotionally unstable partner Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart), Blanchard’s current flame, Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson), femme fatale, Madeleine Linscott (Hilary Swank) and her wealthy parents (Fiona Shaw and John Kavanaugh). Bucky and Lee are investigating the brutal murder of Elizabeth Short, a young starlet whose mutilated body was found completely cut in half at the torso with all her organs removed and her mouth sliced ear to ear.
The film uses the real-life unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, but it is based on the fictional detective novel by James Ellroy …
