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Please note: I saw this movie edited for TV, so my review may have been different if I saw it unedited.
Chinatown plays much like an old film-noir, except this is in color, which, for some reason, works very well. In it, Jack Nicholson plays Jake Gettes. He�s a private dick and is hired by Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) to look at her husband, since she thinks he�s cheating on her. He then gets involved in a murder case and something with losing water in L.A. (which was quite smaller in the 40�s, I learned).
Don�t watch this alone! Actually, what I mean by that is watch it with someone else so you can ask them questions during the film. I�m glad I had that advantage. It�s a really entertaining movie that also keeps you enthralled, not knowing what�s going to happen next. Yet, it deservedly won its Best Original Screenply, which includes one-liners like: �Is that your phone number?� �I don�t know, I don�t call myself that often.� I laughed a couple times, which lightened the mood. I liked the mystery; I kept on guessing, but in the last half hour or so, I decided to just stop and let the entertainment speak for itself.
Nicholson did a very good job, what with the sliced nose and all. He made me believe that he was a P.I. The camerawork, though nothing impressive, showed us the timepiece, and I really thought I was in the 40�s, set in some old noir that came to color. I supposed that was director Roman Polanski�s idea all along. By the way, Polanski has a cameo as the hood who slices Jake�s nose. Dunaway seemed to be perfect for the part, at least on what I�ve seen in the few old noirs I�ve seen.
The reason I didn�t give Chinatown a higher rating is that I found myself playing with a paper clip a few times. I also wasn�t really �thrilled� much, just into the mystery. The music was scarce but it was effective. I wish I could say more, but my memory�s hazy, so I�ll leave you with just saying �see it�!
Rated R for language and violence.
Review Date: February 18, 2003
