Rating of
3/4
Solid if slow moving noir homage
Indyfreak - wrote on 05/08/19
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. There's twists, betrayals, and secrets to be discovered throughout the movie that are more about LA politics merging with crime than as to why a girl was killed then her face slashed wide open.
