Jake Gittes (Nicholson) is a private detective with a past. He alludes to his previous life (job) in Chinatown with a mixture of horror and pain where he lost the woman he loved. In the story, he is a successful detective who has a loyal team to assist him in their quest to find cheating spouses. Early in the story, a woman approaches him concerning her husband, Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling). Gittes and his team accept the case, and find Hollis with a young girl. They print the story in the paper and approached by an irate Evelyn Mulwray (Dunaway), the REAL wife of Hollis. Gittes is outraged that he has been setup, especially when Hollis is murdered. Who is guilty? Why was Gittes setup? Is Evelyn telling the truth? Gittes must discover the truth amid growing feelings for Evelyn, the interference of her wealthy father Noah Cross (Huston), a group of hitmen (ironically the director, Roman Polanski appears with this group of people), and Lt. Escobar (Perry Lopez) the man in charge of the murder case who also used to work in Chinatown.
Although this film was made in the 1970s, it feels like the traditional detective noir films of the '40s. Differing from these films, Gittes doesn't sink to melodrama with a bottle of alcohol, he continues his pursuit of the truth! Also, the story is hard to predict. I had read about the dialogue in a late scene, and I still was shocked by the content and the sharp filmmaking involved. Until the ending you are on the edge of your seat waiting for the murderer to be brought to justice. And the ending is the real kicker. I watched this film for a film class, and the ending of this film has become the standard to which my class judges the endings/resolutions of all other films.
Despite the superior story, this is not a film I can consciously advocate or even encourage you to see. Not to be a prude, but there is an overabundance of foul language and grotesque scenes (blood...lots of blood), definetly earning the R rating which it carries. Nicholson is amazing: gritty and yet likeable, it's a one-of-a-kind performance, but that does not excuse the depressing/violent nature of the overall film.
Rent it once: or read Roger Ebert's "The Great Movies" (volume 1) and read about the film
--: it's not the type of film you can look away from, so if you start it you should know what you're getting into
Chinatown (1974) 131 minutes (R)
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes
Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Mulwray
John Huston as Noah Cross
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