Chinatown

I've finally seen it. Chinatown is one of those films you always hear about, usually focused on the quality of the film in general, but especially about the screenplay. Is the (film geek) hype right? More or less. There is no doubt, Chinatown is a good film. As a noir mystery/thriller, it gets the job done. Jack Nicholson is at the top of his game, reminding us all how good he can be. So is the rest of the supporting cast. And Roman Polanski directs the hell out of every scene, building tension slowly, drawing the mystery out, until you're left to piece the puzzle together. Oh, and the screenplay is as exceptional as they say. As an example of screenplay writing at its finest, this works as well as any of the best (Casablanca, Pulp Fiction, White Chicks...actually, scratch that last one). Okay, so maybe it works better than more or less. Chinatown is long though, and there are moments it drags (just barely) and gets a bit convoluted with its mystery (nothing that can't be worked out), but these aren't the things you remember after the film is over. Any budding screenwriter (cough, me, cough) should make Chinatown a priority, and so should any other film lover.

Genre - Mystery (3.75)

Screenplay (4)
Acting (4)
Production (3)
Directing (4)