Rating of
4/4
"Chinatown" is a true masterpiece of cinema
BtownMovieBuff1 - wrote on 02/12/09
I'm a fairly big Jack Nicholson fan, but being 20 years old I had only known him by his newer stuff, and from "The Shining". Although I had heard of "Chinatown" for quite some time, I never had a big urge to see it, being that I wasn't very interested in older movies.
Well that's certainly changed now, and I'm on an obsessive path to becoming a movie buff. Over the past year I have really immersed myself in movies of all types and decades, and I've researched hundreds of titles. One of the biggest movies on my Must-See-List was "Chinatown", and I finally sat down and gave it a go. Turned out to be an excellent decision, because the movie is near perfect.
The art style, the pacing, the beautiful score, and the fantastic acting by Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway truly elevate this movie to another level. I hadn't seen many film noir's before this one, but it's now the standard-bearer.
One thing that really makes this a fantastic film is its dialogue. Funny, moving, deep quotes are all abound here. Here's a few classics...
Ida Sessions: Are you alone?
Jake Gittes: Isn't everybody?
Jake Gittes: I just want to know what you're worth. Over ten million?
Noah Cross: Oh my, yes.
Jake Gittes: Why are you doing it? How much better can you eat? What can you buy that you can't already afford?
Noah Cross: The future, Mr. Gitts, the future.
Jake Gittes: You're dumber than you think I think you are.
Nicholson truly shines here. Most of his later movies show off his crazy, off-the-wall, dominating performances, which are fine. But "Chinatown" shows a more subtle actor who's a master of his craft. If you're a Nicholson fan at all, this is a MUST.
The last thing I'll comment on is the look of the film. The whole time I was watching it, I was thinking "Man, this is simply a BEAUTIFUL movie." It's not any special effects or a color effect. But the costumes, set pieces, accessories and color palette really make for a true piece of art on the screen.
When combining the acting, the dialogue, the excellent mystery plot and the beautiful look of this piece, "Chinatown" establishes itself as an all-time movie classic. If you're looking to increase your movie knowledge, you need to start with this movie. Excellent all around
